Little Sister
by p.c. andrews
Summary: Kagome gets captured by the Shichinintai during a battle. Rating may go up. My first Inuyasha story, unusual pairings later on! Some angst too.
1. Captured!

_Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or the characters of the series. However, this doesn't seem to stop me form doing whatever I please with them anyway... Also, please don't bother giving me a hard time about the lack of "anime" references or whatever. I know you guys can be pretty picky and I'm working on getting the whole Japanese thing up to speed. Just read the story for the sake of reading it, please. Thanks!_

Little Sister

Chapter 1: Captured!

_During Episode 111 of the anime, Inuyasha and the Shichinintai do battle but were interrupted by Naraku's Saimyosho telling Bankotsu he must leave immediately..._

In the heat of battle, it's difficult for most people, unless they are very experienced, to think on their feet. The combination of fear and blood rage often conspire against a combatant. When Bankotsu had pulled his halberd Banryu from the ground and glared at his opponent Inuyasha, all the while hearing the incessant buzz of the Saimyosho above his head, this had become more and more clear. _Do what they aren't expecting you to do._

And that was why he'd taken the young girl. Plucked her from the smoke and falling rocks, in fact, before Inuyasha could get to her. Obviously, there was something important about her, and Bankotsu was determined to find out what it was.

After the Band made their getaway, Bankotsu brooded, watching the black sack that he'd ordered Renkotsu to toss her in. He would bet anything that Renkotsu already knew waht was so important about her. After all, his tactician brother Renkotsu had been so focused on killing the young girl.

And, why was Renkotsu so nervous now?

* * *

Kagome shivered in terror, but remained very still inside her sack. She could feel that Renkotsu hovering over her, and the horrid contraption Ginkotsu rolling down a dirt road underneath her. Renkotsu would kill her as soon as he got the chance, she thought with despair. He must somehow know about her ability to see Shikon jewel shards! And he was hiding two of them on his person.

There was no doubt that Naraku was behind the Shichinintai's resurrection. But why didn't he just get his usual minions, like Kagura and Kanna, to defend him while he rebuilt his strength (for there was no question that Naraku was doing exactly that)? What was so special about this group of mercenaries? Sure, she'd heard of their reputation that had earned them the fear and loathing of nearly everyone in these parts. But still, Naraku had gone through a lot of trouble to bring them back from the dead to do his bidding. Each one required a jewel shard to keep him alive! And then there were those two that Renkotsu stole from her. And she had seen Bankotsu's three shards in his neck. Did he get them from his fallen brothers? All those shards put together would make a rather nice sized chunk of the jewel.

Kagome shuddered and began to cry. All she knew was that these men had already put her, and Inuyasha, through a lot of grief. Renkotsu had tried to burn her alive already. And before that, there was that freakish Mukotsu, and what he'd tried to do to her... Of course now she was among all the remaining brothers. Weren't they all as mad as he was? Wouldn't they _all_ do to her what _he_ had wanted to do to her?

She suddenly felt a pressing-down sensation on her shoulder, and a nasty whisper in her ear, saying, "You keep that damned mouth of yours shut, bitch, or I'll burn the flesh off your bones." She didn't need to guess who was speaking to her, or what he was talking about.

The rolling sensation stopped. Keeping very silent, Kagome could sense another jewel shard, besides the ones from the Shichinintai. It wasn't Naraku, of course, but most likely poor Kohaku...Yes, she could hear his voice, introducing Kanna (who gave off no demonic aura, so naturally Kagome didn't sense her) to Bankotsu. She strained to listen more. Soon, she didn't have to strain to hear anything, because Bankotsu, the one who had caught her in midair, was soon yelling at Kohaku.

"Don't even tell me that you called us all the way over here just to tell us that," he boomed. Kagome nearly laughed. Apparently this Bankotsu was a bit inexperienced with dealing with Naraku...

"If you had stayed any longer, you would have been killed. Your Banryu is no match for Tetsusaiga," she heard Kanna say in that eerie quiet voice of hers."

Bankotsu grunted. "My Banryu is scarred now!"

Kanna replied, "There is a way to strengthen Banryu..."

Kagome knew what she meant; a jewel shard. She felt a deeper pressing against her. Renkotsu was very nervous all of a sudden. But then, Kagome felt the press lift off altogether. She heard Bankotsu say, "Right. I see what you mean. Thanks for the tip, Kanna."

Kagome wondered what he meant. But she didn't have much time to do so, since she sensed Kohaku departing with Kanna. And then, she realized something. Bankotsu never told Kanna or Kohaku that he'd captured her! Why? What was he up to?

"Can we get out of here? I hate this place," Kagome heard Jakotsu whine. This was not the first time the eccentric brother had complained since Kagome had been taken captive. Apparently, this sacred barrier was sickening even to them. Kagome had no doubt it was because of the jewel shards in their necks.

"Gesssh. If I had a stomach, I'd be heaving it by now," the mechanized brother right under her rumbled.

Without even thinking, Kagome asked, "How can you be alive and have no _stomach?"_

"I believe I hear a little mouse squeaking," Renkotsu sneered over her. "Perhaps, Ginkotsu, you'd like to eat _her?"_

"Renkotsu, keep her quiet until we set camp for the night. I agree; we need to get off this mountain. Since we've got a few of our captive's friends trying to find her, we'll have to take the long way off the mountain," Bankotsu announced.

"That's just as well..." Suikotsu mumbled mysteriously.

"Oh, that'll take us right past..." Jakotsu broke off.

"The Killing Field?" Renkotsu ventured.

"Hey, we can visit our own tomb," Bankotsu pointed out with a false cheeriness. Kagome found it disturbing in the extreme.

In sullen silence, they rolled down the mountainside. The trip was uneventful, thankfully, as Kagome kept her tongue still and her ears keenly aware of every sound. Soon, Bankotsu could be heard saying, "That's where we'll camp tonight!"

"Good, it's easy to defend, and it's indoors, no less," Renkotsu pointed out.

Indoors! Kagome, as bad as her situation was, found herself glad when she heard that happy news.

"Hmm... it's abandoned. Do you think we ever did a job for this daimyo?" Suikotsu wondered aloud.

"We've worked with virtually every daimyo with gold in his pocket in this entire region. I'm sure he was also there when we were killed," Bankotsu snarled.

"Yes, but _why_ was it abandoned?" Ginkotsu asked.

"Demons," Kagome answered automatically.

As she had expected, the sack was finally pulled off her, and she could see that twilight was upon them. A huge castle up on the hillside was what they had all been talking about. She glanced to her side, to see the few features left of Ginkotsu who had once been a complete human being and was now a machine, for all intents and purposes. Then, she eyed Suikotsu, Jakotsu, and Renkotsu, who made her shiver slightly. Then she noticed that their leader, the one who had captured her, was giving her a very keen look. "You think they got killed by demons? Why, do you sense any there?"

"No, not right now, but otherwise why would it be abandoned?" Kagome answered with her own question.

"Don't worry, wench. If there are demons still there, I can destroy them," Bankotsu boasted, patting his halberd's blade affectionately. "Now, Jakotsu, Renkotsu, I want you two to scout ahead and make sure it's as abandoned as it looks."

Renkotsu snapped, "Why do _we_ have to go scout ahead?"

"Why, are you suddenly unable to do as I tell you, Renkotsu?" Bankotsu asked quietly. With a huff, Renkotsu left with Jakotsu.

"What are you going to do with me?" Kagome asked.

"We're going to turn you over to Naraku...once he recovers. I'm hoping that he'll reward us with another jewel shard. Then, we'll have ten. I can distribute two to each of us, and we'll all be equal," Bankotsu explained.

"Wait a minute. How do you figure ten?" Ginkotsu asked.

"It's simple. Regrettably, it will require me to call out Renkotsu; he's got three shards right now. I've got three shards, and each of the others has one apiece."

"How'd he get three shards?" Ginkotsu rumbled.

"He stole two from Kagome. Surprised that I know?" Bankotsu gave Kagome a very charming grin, then added, "I know my brothers very, very well. It would be just like Renkotsu to try and slip past me that he's got more than one jewel shard. After all, both Kyukotsu and Mukotsu succumbed to the same desire for more jewel shards. It led to their unfortunate ends. Renkotsu would at least have to _try_ something like this, just once. Just to see if I'm still at the top of my game, or if I've been dead too long and I've lost my edge."

Suikotsu made a hissing sound when he heard about his two fallen brothers. He gave Bankotsu a glare. "Well, you didn't seem too upset when you heard they were gone. 'Couldn't be helped,' that's what you said!"

In one instant, Bankotsu was in the other brother's face. "What are you trying to say?"

"Well, you have _their_ jewel shards! Maybe, if you figure I'm expendible, you'll just take _my_ jewel shard, and say to the others, 'oops, coudn't be...'" Suikotsu was cut off by a blow to the stomach from Bankotsu.

_"Don't you ever say something like that ever again!"_ Bankotsu growled, shaking with rage.

"We've stood by you up until the very end, Bankotsu! We all deserve better than this, but especially Jakotsu, he's been with you for years!" Suikotsu persisted, though he was on his hands and knees and panting as he spoke.

_"I know that! Why do you think I revived you all in the first place? What has gotten into you, Suikotsu?"_

"His jewel shard has turned black!" Kagome gasped.

In shock, Bankotsu spun and glared at her. "You can _see_ the shards? I thought you were only able to sense them, not actually see them! Well, I know now why I captured you! Just make sure you stay useful, and I'll...take my time delivering you to Naraku. Understand?" With her eyes goggling, Kagome could only nod. "Good. Now, what's his shard doing?"

"Wait, it's clearing up..." she breathed. Sure enough, Suikotsu's expression began to change somewhat. He was still angry, but his eyes were not those dangerous pinpoints they had been mere seconds earlier. She recalled when Suikotsu had been collected back into the Band a couple of days ago. One minute, he'd been the kindest, gentlest person, then the next, he was ready to strangle a little child with his bare hands.

"Hey, you guys, it's all clear! What happened to you?" Jakotsu asked Suikotsu when he arrived.

"I..I'm so sorry! I..I mean _he_ just took over, and," Suikotsu stammered.

Jakotsu let out a loud sigh. "What a crappy day! First I didn't get to cut up my lovely Inuyasha--thanks a lot Stingy (as Jakotsu yanked Bankotsu's long braid)--and _now_ I've got to deal with _the good doctor_ for the rest of the night! I feel a migraine commencing here..."

"Oh, Jakotsu, stop being such a damned princess! It could be a lot worse!" Bankotsu snapped (as he pulled Jakotsu's haircomb out).

"I'm just going to hide over here, Ginkotsu. Along with you. It would seem that you're still alive. Why is that?" Renkotsu asked Kagome.

"He's...I'm getting turned over to Naraku," Kagome answered in a small voice. This was terrible. Since Bankotsu already knew that Renkotsu had extra jewel shards, Renkotsu was bound to think _she'd_ told him!

It was tense while they settled into the castle. Each brother had something to do. Collect firewood. Start cooking. Haul in some bath water. Kagome watched from the corner of the room as Bankotsu and Renkotsu prepared the rice and strips of dried meat they would be having for dinner. Every so often, Renkotsu would glance up at her, while Bankotsu would deliberately pretend not to notice. Kagome tried her very best not to gulp. In her opinion, Renkotsu ought to stop being an idiot and give the shards over. Bankotsu seemed to be giving him every opportunity before he called him on it. Kagome didn't really want to be around for that blow-up.

Especially if, by some odd chance, Renkotsu ended as the victor of that contest...

* * *

_This is my first Inuyasha fanfic. Please let me know what you think so far. Thanks!_


	2. Suikotsu's Turn

Little Sister

Chapter 2: Suikotsu's Turn

Of course, dinner itself was no less tense. Ginkotsu couldn't even come inside without detroying one of the doorways. This caused Suikotsu to start snapping at Renkotsu for making Ginkotsu's new armor too large for any practical purpose. Renkotsu grit his teeth and picked up some rice with his chopsticks. Kagome timidly nibbled on a bit of the dried meat, not daring to eat more though she was starving. Jakotsu was eating just as tenderly, but for a different reason.

"I'm glad we didn't actually stop there today," he said. There was no need to say where he was talking about.

"No point, was there?" Bankotsu shrugged.

"There was one..." Suikotsu brooded.

"Look, Suikotsu, I know you sometimes get into these moods... Well, anyway, there was no purpose to putting yourself, or any of us, through that again," Bankotsu answered crisply.

Suikotsu placed his chopsticks down, apparently not wanting to give up the subject. Renkotsu rolled his eyes and slammed his down as well. "Alright, Suikotsu, thanks a lot for insisting on discussing this depressing subject! So, Bankotsu, let's start with you! Were you the last one to get his head cut off?" he asked sharply.

Bankotsu looked stricken and haunted for an instant. "Yes," he answered, taking a sip of tea to try and cover up the dryness of his throat.

Jakotsu stopped eating as well. He quietly pulled from his haori sleeve a long dagger in a shiny laquered scabbard with a few jewelled tassles dangling from the hilt. Kagome stopped for a moment, catching herself thinking how lovely it was, when Renkotsu started to groan. "I can't believe you still have that..."

"They buried me with it. Isn't that nice?" Jakotsu explained brightly as he pulled the dagger out. Kagome completely lost her appetite.

"Well, I'm glad they lent me the dagger I used. I certainly don't wish to see _that thing_ again," Renkotsu grumbled.

"Imagine that, young miko, that they allowed us the honor of hara-kiri before they beheaded us! And it's all due to our Big Brother's ability to bargain with some of those very same daimyos that had once paid us to destroy their enemies," Suikotsu explained to Kagome with a frightful dark look in his eyes that didn't match the bright tone to his words.

_Hara-kiri,_ forced suicide by disembowelment--the death of choice for dishonored samurai. Chills nearly made Kagome convulse. "Renkotsu's right. We shouldn't talk about it anymore," Bankotsu said shortly, then attempted to take more rice between his shaking chopsticks.

"But, just one thing. I did it right, didn't I? I mean, no expression or anything. I did it right, Bankotsu?" Jakotsu asked.

Bankotsu said softly, "You did it the best of all of us."

"Oh, no! I'm _sure_ you did it better than I could have! I mean, I was about ready to scream, but I wasn't going to give them the satisfaction! I can't imagine you doing it any way but perfectly!" Jakotsu argued.

Bankotsu shifted uncomfortably. "It was...right. Let's not talk about this anymore, please." His tone was almost pleading. Kagome heard the lie in his voice.

"You had to promise the daimyos that _you_ would just be beheaded, didn't you?" she asked him quietly.

"Kagome!" Bankotsu hissed.

Jakotsu gasped. "You mean to tell me that they made you sit there and watch while we all got to end our lives with some shred of honor knowing all along that you would not be afforded the same honor? Why those _FUCKERS!"_ The other brothers looks of horror mirrored Jakotsu's next words. "You should have told us before! We must kill them, any of them that are still left!"

During that outburst, Kagome watched Renkotsu's expression of guilt grow deeper and deeper. She held her breath. Then, it happened. He reached into his kimono and produced two glistening pink-purple crystals. He held his hand out to Bankotsu. "Here...I, um, meant to give these to you and, um, I forgot until just now."

Bankotsu watched them drop into the palm of his hand, still warm from Renkotsu's hand. "I cannot bear the thought of losing another one of my brothers to these damned things. I forgive you for 'forgetting' to give them to me earlier."

Kagome didn't dare let out a sigh of relief. Instead she made one more attempt at eating. These men were all killers, efficient and brutal, from what she'd heard, and even from what little she's seen of them in action. Renkotsu managed to evade her sacred arrow, Bankotsu managed to survive a direct blow of the _Kaze no Kizu_ attack from Inuyasha... But at the same time, there was _something_ different about these villains than the others she'd faced in the past.

"You're a sly one, child. I'm going to keep both eyes on you from now on," Bankotsu murmured. Kagome didn't dare answer back. "In fact, I beleive Suikotsu should be the one to guard you tonight. Make sure she does not escape before we have a chance to deliver her to Naraku."

Later, Kagome tried to fake-sleep, but it was difficult with Suikotsu looming over her. He was a large man, and even without his claws on, he still appeared wild and fierce. She began shaking. He was watching her too closely for her peace of mind. Ha! Peace is not what she would find while a captive of these madmen.

After another half hour, what she'd suspected would happen all along finally did--his big hands ensnared her. One went over her mouth while the other snaked around her, pinning her arms to her torso. As she inevitably began to struggle, he whispered, "You're coming with me, and if you scream you die, understood?"

Kagome nodded, unable to do anything else. Why was he taking her out of the room? If he was going to actually...he could have just...but no. Something in his face, wild, yet troubled, made Kagome think that perhaps his intentions were not what she'd originally thought they'd be. Very slowly, he tiptoed along the walls of the room, then slipped out that door, only to angle himself along the next wall.

Of course, Kagome realized. These castles were made with floors that purposely squeaked. It would warn of intruders. Suikotsu stuck close to the walls since there, the floor might not squeak as much. Kagome could catch a glimpse of Bankotsu's back turned to them in another room. He looked like he was asleep, but Kagome thought, maybe his ears were still fairly sharp while he was asleep too. She silently struggled, just so Suikotsu would lean forward ever so slightly, step just a bit too far forward.

_Squeak_

Kagome stopped her struggle as Suikotsu's grip on her tightened. It was like this for the rest of the time, until they finally managed to make it outside, where he dropped her down and grabbed only her hand. "Now, we go this way, and no more tricks! This is too important."

"What do you think you're doing? What do you want with me?" she asked in a loud whisper.

"I need your help." With that statement, he pulled her behind him and led the way down the mountainside. As he single-mindedly led her along, Kagome noticed moonlight glinting off a blade of steel back behind them. They were being followed.

Suikotsu led Kagome to a large clearing, roughly the size of a few soccer fields melded together. With only the crescent moon overhead, it was much too dark to see the grass, though it crunched under her feet. "I remember it was around here. Yes, the arrows began to fly from there," Suikotsu began, pointing up at the knoll they'd just walked over.

"Is this...where you..."

"Where we were executed, yes...I think I was about here when I dropped it. I hope I did drop it here. What if I lost it on the road?"

"Lost what?" Kagome asked.

"My crystal. It's got magical powers. It allows me to control..._him._ Bankotsu had made it for me when I first joined the Band. As long as I have it, I can bring _him_ out at will, and then put _him_ away when we are done. I didn't mean to frighten you, you must have been very scared! But I know you can locate those Shikon jewel shards, and I thought maybe you might be able to help me find my crystal."

Kagome was a bit shocked. "Oh, alright, if I can, I'll help you find it. But, I don't see anything," she told him.

"And you won't," they both heard from behind them. They whirled around to find Bankotsu with his Banryu at his side. "Suikotsu, why didn't you just say something?"

"Oh, Big Brother! I..." Suikotsu stammered, but Bankotsu just raised his hand to stop him.

Kagome finally found her voice. "Well, he needs that crystal! Maybe some innocent people might not die if we find it, you think?"

Bankostu's dark eyes were amused at Kagome's vehemence. "I care nothing for innocent people, seeing as how there are virtually no innocent people in this foul world. But in order to keep Suikotsu, my brother, from suffering, I agree with you that we must find it. But seeing as how I am the one who made the crystal for him, you two can't find it without me." He took Kagome's free hand into his. "Now, take a look at the field again."

Kagome suddenly sensed the essences of these two men. There was great power, great suffering, great losses and great gains. A faint glow about thirty meters away emerged suddenly. She gasped, "I see it!"

"Lead us to it, Kagome!" Bankotsu ordered. She led them, one on each hand, to the spot.

Suikotsu let go, began feeling the ground for it. "I think it's slightly underground," Kagome told him. He nodded enthusiastically, and began digging. He gave a wordless yell when he felt it. Kagome actually found herslf grinning as he produced a glowing white crystal from the earth.

Bankotsu didn't let go of her hand just yet. "Thank you for helping him. And yeah, maybe we might be able to spare an innocent life or two while we're at it, if it's that important to you."

Kagome, in response, tried to kick Bankotsu in the shin. He laughed at her feeble attempt then tried to step on her foot. They continued this useless duel until they noticed Suikotsu bowing before them. "Miko, I cannot thank you enough for what you've done. And Big Brother, I cannot express enough sorrow for what I said to you earlier. I have brought great dishonor on myself for acting like that."

"Showing concern for your fellow brothers is no dishonor. I know that you grieve, especially for Kyokotsu. You and he were close; I can recall many a scrape you both got into, he with his head strong ways, and you with your own stubbornness. I have not allowed myself the time to grieve our fallen brothers. Now, I think it's best if we all returned to the castle." And with that, Kagome and Suikotsu followed him back in the darkness.

When they arrived, the other three brothers were wide awake, waiting just outside the gates. And one of them was especially pissed. "Well, decided to have a little _party_ without me, did you? Oh, of course. You're punishing me for the jewel shards. Well, I suppose then it was not necessary to take her outside the castle, just on my account. If I were to hear you all at it, I suppose you would have been punishing me more, no?" Renkotsu growled.

"Um, Renkotsu, she doesn't exactly look like she's been violated. Then again, from what I've heard, Bankotsu and Suikotsu can be exceptionally good performers," Jakotsu smirked.

Kagome could feel the fire in her face threatening to make it explode. Bankotsu began to laugh. "Let me guess. You guys stayed up all night and figured that all out amongst yourselves, huh?"

Suikotsu leaned down to Kagome, his cheeks somewhat red as well. "He's _not_ speaking from personal experience, you know," he told her shortly.

"Says you..." Jakotsu grinned, then got a little more serious. "I couldn't sleep anyway; everytime I close my eyes, I see a sword coming down on my neck. Kind of makes it difficult to get any kind of quality sleep."

"Well, then tomorrow night, _you'll_ be the one to watch Kagome," Bankotsu told Jakotsu. Renkotsu looked furious still, and Jakotsu shrugged with little enthusiasm. Bankotsu noticed this and explained very briefly, "We have Suikotsu's crystal back. That's where we went earlier. It's time to get back to sleep."

Kagome followed Banktosu and Suikotsu back to the room she'd been in before. But she got to see one last angry glance from Renkotsu, and knew his issues with her were far from over.

* * *

_Thanks for your feedback so far! I promise that Jakotsu's going to get more outrageous next chapter!_


	3. Jakotsu's Turn

Little Sister

Chapter 3: Jakotsu's Turn

_Note: This chapter is dedicated to Paris Hilton, whose maturity and responsibility will be an example for generations to come..._

By the next morning, it had become very evident that a power struggle was looming. Kagome had dreamt about it once she had gotten back to sleep last night. Bankotsu was in danger. And Naraku was pulling the strings. As long as things stood with Bankotsu in charge, Kagome knew she'd be unharmed. But she knew if Renkotsu got his way...she was a goner. Now, she had to figure out how to survive in case something like that happened.

"Well, you look deep in thought. Not thinking of escaping, are you?" Bankotsu asked her before she set out with Ginkotsu and Jakotsu to gather herbs for Suikotsu's supply.

Kagome answered, "I'm thinking it'll be nice to pick herbs today. I'm thinking you should keep a very close eye on...everybody. Jewel shards don't turn black for no reason." She hoped her warning was enough. She hoped that Bankotsu got the message. But from the look in his eyes, she couldn't tell.

Ginkotsu rolled along behind Kagome and Jakotsu through a forest path. He was not really able to do much to help, just to stand guard mostly. But somehow, Kagome didn't think that was the point. It was obvious that Bankotsu had some sort of agenda, but what could it be? She glanced at Jakotsu's jewel shard lodged in his neck. It was glowing a fine pink color. In spite of that, his pretty face was stuck in a frown. "Sure, he makes _me_ babysit you. And then, tonight, I get to watch you and make sure you don't escape. Bankotsu had better watch out; I'm getting bored. Bored Jakotsu is _not_ a good Jakotsu."

"Gessh! You think _you're_ bored? I was outside all by myself last night until you came out there. It's just like it used to be with Kyukotsu!" Ginkotsu complained.

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked.

"Well, Kyukotsu never could come inside most places either; he was too big! Then Renkotsu started doing this stuff to Ginkotsu... Suikotsu might be right, what Renkotsu did this time. It's pretty extreme!" Jakotsu commented.

"We know who's at fault!" Kagome frowned.

"Yes! Inuyasha!" Ginkotsu declared.

"No, _Renkotsu!_ He's the one who built you up like this!" Kagome countered.

"No! Renkotsu only tries to help me! If Inuyasha hadn't used his sword on me like he did, I wouldn't have fallen apart like that!" Ginkotsu argued. _Well,_ Kagome thought quickly, _that's one for Renkotsu's side!_

Jakotsu glared at her. "He and Renkotsu have always been close. There's no use trying to drive any kind of wedge between them, Kags. It was the same with Suikotsu and Kyukotsu."

"He used to keep Kyukotsu company outside lots of times. But so would Bankotsu. I hope he spends some time with me now that I have to stay outside all the time. Big Brother, I mean."

"Hey, why's he the Big Brother when it seems like he's the youngest one of all of you?" Kagome asked.

"He may be the youngest of us agewise, but he far surpasses all of us in virtually every other way. He's got...powers..." Jakotsu explained.

"Yes, he said he made that crystal for Suikotsu. How did he do that?" Kagome interrupted.

"I remember we passed though a village where there was some old gink selling rocks on his cart. Bankotsu believed that if Suikotsu were given something that would make him think that he had control over his spells, that he really _would_ have control, you know what I mean? So, he took the crystal he bought from this old man, then went to a Buddhist temple and prayed over it, I think."

"That sounds nutty to me. I can't picture Bankotsu praying over anything!" Kagome sniffed.

"He said some sort of prayer over his Banryu once too. And it's got some sort of powers too. I think Banryu's actually _gaining_ strength, even now, after sitting as a decoration in that daimyo's fortress for so long. I don't exactly know what it is, but I know it's there. So did others. Hey, Ginkotsu, remember that time we were hired to capture and get information from that village headsman about their shrine?" Jakotsu asked.

"Heh! How can I forget that! Suikotsu beat him until nearly every bone in his body was broken! Then Renkotsu raped and burned his wife alive in front of him! I'd shot every one of his children in the head! And Kyukotsu tore apart his siblings and parents limb from limb. Still , he said nothing!" Ginkotsu recalled with a touch of awe in his metallic voice.

Kagome was horrified. Jakotsu merely laughed. "Oh, you haven't even heard the rest of it yet! That's when they called _me_ in! I remember reaming him quite thoroughly..." Jakotsu grinned evilly and showed Kagome one clenched fist.

Kagome gasped. "No...you didn't!"

"Oh, yes, he did! Renkotsu and I had to look away. I bet even Suikotsu did! But we didn't even hear a peep from the man," Ginkotsu told her.

"Yeah, you know, I bet it was all Mukotsu's fault. He probably over did it with the paralyzing poison he'd given him in the first place!" Jakotsu pouted.

Kagome shook her head. "No, I know first hand; you can still feel everything, even when you're paralyzed..."

"Hmmm...then that's quite demoralizing! After all that, we still had nothing. So, we had to turn to Big Brother..." Jakotsu recalled glumly. "All the headsman had to do was _look_ at Bankotsu, and he was singing like a bird."

Kagome was mystified by that, in spite of her revulsion. "Why?"

"Because, Kags, _he's_ our leader. Our Big Brother! Don't you see? Of course not; you see us as we are now. Walking zombies! But back then, his word was law among us all. For someone to be able to control all of us like that, that person would have to have tremendous personal power. The headsman knew this. Back then, if Renkotsu had so much as kept a _fish hook_ from Bankotsu, he'd have been sent crawling behind him, dusting the floor beneath Big Brother's feet!"

"Gessh, with his _tongue!"_ Ginkotsu added.

"Yep, those were the good old days..." Jakotsu sighed. "Hey, that's one of the herbs we need, right?" Kagome plucked the plants that Jakotsu pointed at, her mind spinning like the wheels of her bicycle...

Kagome had sat through dinner thinking that the last thing she really wanted to do was spend the entire night with Jakotsu! Maybe she'd do homework; imagine, Bankotsu had even thought to have Suikotsu grab her backpack before they had made their getaway! Naturally, when they'd gone though the bag the first time, they took all the first aid stuff she'd kept for her friends when they got hurt. The second time, they took any food she might have had left. The rest had been spared, at least for the moment. Surely, Jakotsu wouldn't bother her while she kept quiet, right?

So, that was the plan. Once everyone else retired, and Kagome was set in the same room again with a new guard this time, she immediately opened up the backpack and pulled out the Trigonometry book and a wirebound notebook. _Ha, just think, last week, all I could think about is that monster test I know I'm going to bomb at the end of this semester._

About halfway through the first homework problem, Kagome looked up and saw Jakotsu gingerly sniffing some of her face lotion. Her first impulse was to yell at him, but then it occurred to Kagome that it would be like yelling at a bear who had just opened up your camper to start pigging out. "Say, this bottle isn't glass. But it sort of looks like glass..."

"It's plastic, and be careful with it!" Kagome snapped.

"And what's this?" Jakotsu asked, plucking out of the bag her cell phone.

Kagome gasped. "Ohmigosh, I thought I'd lost that! Yay!" she said, taking it from Jakotsu. "I'll just shut this off, since I can't use it in these times anyway." She flipped the phone open and shut it off. It made a little jingle noise which simply mystified Jakotsu. But then, relentlessly, Jakotsu persued some more modern treasures. He found one of her teen magazines.

"OH! Look at all those beautiful young men! And the pictures are so...exact! How did you get such paintings!" Jakotsu gasped.

"You can read it if you want to," Kagome ventured.

Hungrily, Jakotsu sat in the corner and stared at it. "Who said anything about reading? I just want to look at these pictures. Reading is for people like Renkotsu! Are any of these men as adorable as Inuyasha?"

"Not one of them resembles Inuyasha in any way," Kagome answered. Inuyasha! She missed him so badly all of a sudden.

"You have to understand, Kags. I just _have_ to have those ears! Those _ears!_ I just want to feel those fuzzy ears between my lips. Just nibble them a little bit," Jakotsu squealed.

Kagome shook her head. There goes the homework! "Hey, those are _my_ ears!" she spat.

"Like hell they are!" Jakotsu sneered. "I'll just cut you up into little peices..."

"And Bankotsu will have your head back off your shoulders so fast..." Kagome interrupted.

Jakotsu settled back into his corner. "Yes, yes, I know... Fine, I'll just look at your men in here. Hmmm...who's this...Hayy..den? Oh, who gives a shit what his name is! He looks like a Caucasian! Mmm... And who's this? His skin is so dark! I've never seen anything like that!" Jakotsu gasped.

"In feudal Japan, you don't get to see too many people of African descent," Kagome explained.

"Ohhh..." For a few moments, he was quiet. Then, he declared, "Yes, there are some beauties in here. However, few of them rival Bankotsu, do they?"

Kagome spoke up. "I've been meaning to ask you about...you and Bankotsu..."

Jakotsu put the magazine down with a slight smile on his face. "Kagome, it's a common mistake. People see that we are close. We _are_ close! We're _brothers,_ Kagome! Comrades-in-arms! If he saw I was in danger, he'd move heaven and earth to get me out of it. If I saw he was in trouble, if I had to die to make sure he was safe, I'd do it! He's got a _cute_ ass, but it's not worth the price I'd surely pay if I were to even go there! Besides, he needs to cut his hair. I've told him a hundred times he'd look great if he'd just get rid of the braid. Although, if he got rid of the braid, I wouldn't be able to pull it anymore. Oh, the dilemmas of life! Do _you_ like his braid?" Jakotsu asked.

"Why are you asking me that? Are you trying to match me up with Bankotsu?" Kagome asked. "Because if you are, you'd better just forget it. There's no way I'm letting Inuyasha go!"

"Bitch!" Jakotsu pouted.

"Oh, please! He's not really your type anyway!" Kagome told him.

"Oh, yeah, I guess you're right. He's beautiful, masculine, but yeah, he's also too dominant. I like to hurt the dominant ones. I like to break them, make them suffer. If I wanted a true lover, he'd have to be submissive, but not girly like me. I'm too damned pushy to back down most of the time; I know my own faults, trust me, _I know._ I wonder if Hayy-den is submissive..." Jakotsu wondered aloud.

Kagome sighed. "I don't think you'll ever find anyone like that."

Jakotsu surprised her with his response. "I believe that there is someone for everyone in this world, Kags. Look at you! Traveling five hundred years into the past to find your soul mate! Maybe I'll have to travel five hundred years into the future to find him! You know anybody like that?"

Kagome shook her head. Jakotsu was impossible. Even if she _did_ know someone like that, how could she possibly trust someone like Jakotsu? He looked at some of the make up ads in the magazine for a few minutes. Then, he made a connection.

"Hey, this is the same bottle you had in your bag! Did you see this bottle in here, and then go get it?" he demanded.

"Yes. That's advertising. You see the ad in the magazine, and then go to the store to buy it. Or you can order it online too. Oh, you dont' get 'online' at all, never mind, don't worry about it!" Kagome explained.

"Can you online me this bottle?" Jakotsu thumbed his way back to the page with the ad for Paris Hilton's perfume, _Heiress._

Kagome's eyes widened. "Jakotsu, do you realize what you're asking me to do? I have to go back to my era to get that! Bankotsu would never let me..."

"Not unless he decided _not_ to turn you over to Naraku! Then, we could just 'convince' him that you'd be safer in your own time. And then, you can online this for me..." Jakotsu grinned, pleased with his plan.

Sure, it all sounded so simple! "He'll never go for it!" Kagome frowned.

"Well, not if it's just me that wants you to go back to your era. You'll need to get some other brothers convinced that you could get them things that they want too. How do you even travel through time anyway?"

Kagome dared to take a breath. Jakotsu was dead serious about this plan! "There's a village to the south of here. There's a well, a dried out well, that used to be a place where demon remains were tossed in. I was pulled here originally by a demon that was trapped in the well during my era, and during this one. I've been able to go back and forth ever since."

"To the south? Perfect; we can pick up some money on the way down..." Jakotsu declared.

"Money?" Kagome asked, as if he'd heard her mental question of _How am I going to pay for all this?_

"Oh, yes! We're very, _very_ wealthy men, Kags. We did our work, and we did it well, and we were _well_ paid for our services. Do you think we've always slummed it lke this? Hell, no! We could _buy_ a castle like this, if one were actually up for sale!" Jakotsu informed her.

Did she dare hope that this idea would gain any kind of traction? "Who else would go for this idea, though?" she asked.

Jakotsu smirked. "Well, I think Suikotsu would do just about anything you ask him now that you got that crystal back for him. Ginkotsu...hmmm... he'd probably have no objection, as long as..."

"Renkotsu." _He's the main obstacle. How do I get around him?_

Jakotsu's smirk deepend. "Well, there's a couple of ways around him. You _could_ fuck him. That would probably do it."

"Not an option. Anything else?" Kagome asked shortly.

"Kags, just to warn you, it may be inevitable. He's most likely going to watch you tomorrow night. If he starts something, don't expect Bankotsu to stop him. So, if you act more willing, he might just be more inclined to support you..."

"You said there were a couple of ways. What's another one?" Kagome insisted, with a blush starting to form on her cheeks.

"Well, you'll have to distract him with something. Maybe there's something in your bag that might work," Jakotsu shrugged. Kagome frowned. _How do you distract a creep like Renkotsu from raping you?_ She could tell she wasn't going to get a bit of sleep tonight again.


	4. Renkotsu's Turn

Little Sister

Chapter 4: Renkotsu's Turn

Early the next morning, Bankotsu decided that if the Band was going to continue living at this abandoned castle, they were going to have to do some work on it. To that end, everyone, including Kagome, was given a series of tasks like cleaning, chopping wood and the like. Naturally, there would always have to be one of the brothers keeping an eye on Kagome. But for the most part, everyone would be too busy to cause trouble.

Jakotsu was spending the entire day expanding his shopping list. He wanted some of those lotions that were in the magazine too. Kagome tried to explain that they were more for acne treatment than for dry skin, so she told him she'd get some things that would be better. She'd be spending a heck of alot of money! Of course, all of this was contingent on getting around Renkotsu.

Kagome's heart would start pounding every time she ran into him. He seemed particularly uninterested in her, if not completely disdainful of her. Was this a good sign or a bad one? Trying to keep away from him, yet trying to study him, was her big challenge of the day. From what she could tell, it was not promising. His oval face was in a permenant sneer, frown or smirk. His hands were constantly busy. She kept trying to think of that face above her, those hands on her...and she just couldn't bring herself to bear it. But as each hour dragged by, Kagome knew she'd have to come up with some sort of idea before tonight.

In the afternoon, Renkotsu managed to corner her in a courtyard that Bankotsu wanted cleared of weeds. Kagome felt her spine stiffen to a rod. She kept her hands filled with twigs to keep them from shaking. He leaned down, looming over her, then shocked her with his question, "I want you to tell me everything you know about Naraku." He crouched down next to her, began pulling out some scrub, then said, "Well, start talking."

"Oh, yeah, Naraku. He's a demon. Well no, actually, he's only a half demon, for all that," she began.

"Really? Why only half demon? Is he like Inuyasha, then?"

"Oh, no. See, Inuyasha's mother was a human, and his father was a demon. Onigumo's, I mean, Naraku's parents were both human, as far as I know. He invited demons to take his body over, and so that's why he's a part-demon now," Kagome explained.

Renkotsu stared at Kagome and grinned. "Onigumo, eh? So that was his real name? Tell me more! Tell me everything you know about him! Have you told any of this to Bankotsu? Oh, let me guess; he never asked. I'm telling you, he needs to pull his head out of his ass or we are all in terrible trouble!"

"You already are in terrible trouble. As soon as anyone makes a deal with Naraku, they get used and then thrown away like garbage. And in between, Naraku plays these sick little games with people, just because he can. Because he enjoys it. I think he's already starting to play the games. I..." She suddenly stopped herself. Should she tell Renkotsu that she had seen Suikotsu's jewel shard turn black? Maybe Ginkotsu might have told his favorite brother already; she had no way of knowing.

"You--what? You were going to say something! What is it!" he demanded angrily. His frown was deeper and angrier than usual. He gripped her shoulders and began to shake her. "Tell me about this Naraku, dammit!"

"Let--me--go," Kagome whimpered.

"Stop playing these damned games! What are you up to? Since when does Jakotsu talk to a woman as much as he's been talking to you? And _don't_ give me this innocent act with Bankotsu. I'm sure he's either had you already or is planning to very soon. He is not one to keep his pants on very long, that I can assure you!" he sneered.

Kagome suddenly felt her mind jam. It was somewhere between Renkotsu's rage, Bankotsu's charming beauty, and Mukotsu's repulsiveness. They all became a strange blob in her mind, and she heard voices in her ears, from all three men, but they were all talking or yelling at the same time and she couldn't hear each distinct exact word but she knew what they all meant and they frightened her. So, she did the only thing she could do to drown them all out.

She let out a scream. No, not _a_ scream. _The_ scream.

Helpless horror crossed Renkotsu's face, and he backed away, but she barely noticed it. Within a few seconds, all of the other brothers arrived, looking nearly as horrified.

_"What the hell did you try to do to her, Renkotsu?"_ Bankotsu growled, pointing Banryu straight at him.

"I swear I did nothing! Naturally, you don't believe me!" he spat. "Crazy bitch! Though I suppose she fits right in with the rest of us!"

Suikotsu ignored Renkostu's protests and Bankotsu's outrage. He scooped Kagome into his arms and said "There there now, it's alright. Shh...shhh..." even though she was still shrieking in his face. "Yes, I know, you're overtired. I have just the thing for you...shh. It's okay. Renkotsu, please get me my herbs."

Renkotsu dashed off, seeming like he was grateful to get out of there alive. Suikotsu still held onto her, and she eventually stopped fighting him. She looked up into his face, saw the kindness in his eyes. His jewel shard was pure. _He_ at least was okay. She finally stopped screaming, but still shuddered and whimpered. "Yes, I know, I know it's bad," he sighed, calming her down. "Jakotsu told me you didn't sleep at all last night, and you hadn't slept too well the night before. I want to make sure you sleep tonight. Ah, good, my herbs..." Suikotsu produced a vial from the bag that Renkotsu had brought. "Here, now, drink this down and you'll feel better..."

Kagome's eyes widened and she began to scream again, even though her throat was now quite hoarse. "Now, now, it's alright. It's just to help you sleep later," Suikotsu told her. But he didn't understand! He meant well, but if she were to take that potion, Renkotsu would be able to take complete advantage of her. If she was awake, at least she could put up some sort of fight. Otherwise, it would be just like with Mukotsu...and this time, there'd be no one, not even Sesshomaru, to rescue her.

"Okay, look, watch, I'm going to give some to Jakotsu too. So you know it's okay. Jakotsu, come on, drink up!" Suikotsu ordered.

"What the hell for?" Jakotsu protested. "I'm not overtired!"

"You've got black rings under your eyes, dear," Bankotsu informed him.

"Hmph!" Jakotsu frowned as he sniffed the potion. "Those black rings aren't from tiredness. They're from getting old."

"Are you kidding me? The occupation we are in, and you worry about getting old? How about the fact that we've been _dead_ so long?" Renkotsu snorted.

"Yeah, I guess," Jakotsu pouted, then downed the vial. He made a face, and then commented, "This is dumb. It's the middle of the afternoon!"

"It's a slow acting herb; you'll probably get more sleepy right after dinner. So it's alright, Kagome. You won't fall asleep right away. Here..." Suikotsu placed the vial at her lips, then pretty much forced it in, though Kagome was damned to know how he did it. He might have gotten some sort of technique for that, having had to give people herbs like that all the time.

Right after that, a surprising request was made. "Can she sleep out here with me tonight? Please?" It was Ginkotsu.

"You sure about that Ginkotsu?" Bankotsu asked. "After all, it was Renkotsu's turn to watch her..."

"Yess! Please let her stay out here with me? She can sleep on my...lap!" he asked again.

"Hmmm...I suppose you want the company? Fine, I guess it's alright, as long as you don't have to chase her... How about Renkotsu watching her along with you? That way, we've got everything covered," Bankotsu said, looking down at Kagome who was red-eyed and still shaking. Kagome didn't know what to make of this development. But she didn't know what she'd be able to do about it now...

By nightfall, Kagome began to feel the effects of the potion. She was barely able to get through dinner before nearly dropping her chopsticks. Bankotsu quickly swept her up, and as he promised, took her outside to Ginkotsu. In a few moments, she was all tucked into her bedroll.

"Now, if anything happens at all, Ginkotsu, you know what to do, right?" Banktosu asked.

"If he touches her, I shoot him," Ginkotsu answered.

Alarmed, Bankotsu corrected him. "No! I don't want any more talk about shooting your brother, Ginkotsu! No, you need to get me. You know how to do that, right? I hear a loud bang, I come running, you understand me?"

"Yes, Big Brother, I understand!"

Bankotsu looked at Kagome, who seemed deep in slumber. "She's getting to be a lot of trouble. But she's worth the trouble, Ginkotsu."

"Yes. I know." With that Bankotsu gave her just one more troubled glance, and then retreated.

For a few moments, Ginkotsu just watched Kagome sleeping, keeping himself as silent as possible. Watching her seemed to give Ginkotsu peace, something he hasn't had since long before he died. Why would Bankotsu be troubled when he looked at her? _She's_ not the problem. _Naraku_ was the problem. Whoever he was. This Sesshomaru, they'd have gotten around to killing him in retaliation for killing their brother Mukotsu without _Naraku_ telling them to do it! Did Naraku want this girl dead?

"I don't care what Naraku wants!" Ginkotsu grumbled aloud.

"Well, my brother, according to Little Miss Jewel Shard there, we'd better start caring what he wants," Renkotsu answered, emerging from the castle to the starry night.

"Why did you want to kill her?" Ginkotsu asked.

"Oh, there's no point in killing her now, aside from provoking Bankotsu," Renkotsu snorted.

"You didn't answer me. Why did you want kill her?"

"She can _see_ the Shikon jewel shards in our necks, Ginkotsu! At the time, I had extra jewel shards that I didn't want Bankotsu to know about," Renkotsu explained reluctantly.

"Ooh, don't do that again, Renkotsu! More jewel shards won't do us any good anyway. That's what Jakotsu says," Ginkotsu told him.

_"Jakotsu!_ That fool's been chatting up Kagome all day! You don't possibly know what he's up to, do you?"

"Gessh! He's buying a parishilton," Ginkotsu answered.

"A what?"

"Look in the book he left over there. See the picture of it?" Renkotsu bent down and picked up Kagome's teen magazine that by now had pages and pages folded, to remind her of all the items Jakotsu wanted. But it happened to be open to the "parishilton" page. At once, Renkotsu noticed the realism of the picture of the woman, who, even in the bad lighting, he could see was clad in very revealing clothing.

"Tell me if I'm losing my mind or if Jakotsu has suddenly taken a preference to women?" Renkotsu gasped.

"You're losing your mind. It's the _bottle_ he wants, not the _woman!"_

Ginkotsu laughed. 

"Oh, of course! Pink and sparkly. Yes, that's our dear Jakotsu's taste alright! I guess having his head taken off hasn't changed him all that much. Then again, his head was no big loss was it? Mine, on the other hand...I think my brains are becoming a pile of slop in my head, Ginkotsu!"

"Yes! Keeping jewel shards from our Big Brother was stupid, indeed!"

"Jakotsu's even more stupid, wanting this bottle. What did this wench do? Promise him the bottle if he could get her back to her own time? Is that his master plan? Now I know the world's out of sorts when Jakotsu's making plans..." Then, Renkotsu glanced at Kagome, then back up at Ginkotsu. "Why did you want her to sleep out here with you?" Ginkotsu hesitated, so Renkotsu said, "Come on, you can tell me, can't you?"

"I...I'm in love with her," Ginkotsu confessed.

"Ginkotsu, you don't really mean that! You can't mean that. That would be the kiss of death, seriously."

"I can't kiss her," Ginkotsu grumbled. "I can't touch her. I can't...all I can do is watch her. And listen to her heart beating."

"And, my brother, how well can you do even that these days?" Renkotsu asked.

"I've _lost_ my powers, Renkotsu!" Ginkotsu howled.

"As have I! As have we all!"

"I have no body left! I have no powers left. I only have my heart. And a jewel shard that keeps me alive no matter what!" Ginkotsu said miserably.

"And you have me, Ginkotsu. You cannot kiss her," Renkotsu said, swooping down on Kagome's prone form. "So perhaps _I_ can kiss her for you. You cannot touch her, but I can touch her for you as well." Renkotsu brushed a few wisps of Kagome's hair on her forehead then bent over to kiss her lips. But Ginkotsu pointed one of his many guns straight at Renkotsu's head.

"Don't you touch her, brother," Ginkotsu growled.

Renkotsu was surprised that Ginkotsu was so vehement. But instead of yelling, instead of getting angry, he patted Ginkotsu's gun barrel. "You are a true friend, and a worthy brother, Ginkotsu. It's just as well that you did not take me up on that offer. Considering my luck with this wench, if I were to attempt to mount her, I'm sure my cock would fall off. I have enough troubles, and I certainly don't need that!"

Ginkotsu didn't move the gun away from Renkotsu's head until he slid away from Kagome. Only then did Kagome allow herself to breathe. He'd been _thisclose..._ but apparently, she now had a mechanical guardian angel to defend her.

Now, she'd be able to sleep.

* * *

_Note: I really apperciate all the reviews I've been getting!!! BTW, next 2 chappies is when the tide really turns, and the Inu gang will finally make their appearances. Also, did anybody notice in chap 3 the big GIANT HINT I put in there about my Jakotsu spinoff romance story? No? Do you want to see a Jakotsu romance story included in this story? Or should I try to make it a separate story tying into this plot? If you have an opinion, help me out here and let me know! Spanx from the Banks! _


	5. Bankotsu's Turn

Little Sister

Chapter 5: Bankotsu's Turn

A few quiet hours passed. Renkotsu finally drifted off to sleep next to Kagome. Ginkotsu kept watch over both of them. To him, this was like a blissful dream; two of his very favorite people outside with him under the stars. He really hoped that Renkotsu wouldn't be too angry with him for pointing a gun at his head. But, he had to do what he had to do. He knew Renkotsu was correct; there could never be anything between him and this precious girl, but at least he could protect her from harm. Yes, that he could do.

After those few quiet hours, another one of his brothers came outside. But this didn't look like he was coming out here to pay him a visit. Especially since Jakotsuto glinted in the waning moonlight...

"Ginkotsu, that girl is causing us too much trouble. I'm just going to kill her now, get this all over with," Jakotsu told Ginkotsu in an eerie, vacant voice.

"Oh, no you don't!" Ginkotsu boomed. This caused Renkotsu to snap awake.

"What's going on?" he asked stupidly. He hissed when he saw Jakotsu. "Oh, so now, suddenly, you're ready to kill this wench? Not before I get to fuck her!" He leaped toward Jakotsu.

All that rukus awakened Kagome at once, and she gasped as she saw Jakotsu and Renkotsu at eachother's throats. What has happened? One minute, everything was fine, the next, Jakotsu was about to kill her? Oh, of course...his jewel shard. It was pitch black! She watched Renkotsu, and indeed, his jewel shard was equally polluted! To her incredible relief, Ginkotsu's jewel shard was not. So, she stood up on Ginkotsu's platform, and asked him quickly, "Where are my bow and arrows? They need to be purified!"

"Back there, behind me! But don't hurt them, Kagome, please! They're my brothers!" Ginkotsu begged her.

"Yeah, and right now, they're also Naraku's slaves!" Kagome knocked her first arrow. And with some satisfaction, it struck Renkotsu right in the side of his neck. Jakotsu looked a bit stunned; after all, they were just in the middle of an argument...

"What's going on out here?" That was Suikotsu. Kagome saw he had his crystal clutched tightly in his clawed hand. Thankfully, though, his jewel shard was clear, for the moment. Ginkotsu suddenly blasted a huge bomb into the air, causing everyone else to try and cover their ears. Jakotsu, however, recovered first. He swung Jakotsuto right at Kagome and Ginkotsu...

Only to be blocked by Banryu!

_"Jakotsu! What are you doing, striking at your brother like that?"_ Bankotsu gasped.

Kagome yelled, "Look out!" then let her next arrow fly, straight into Jakotsu's chest. Bankotsu was aghast. He gave Kagome a murderous glare. But, she saw his jewel shard was clear, not black. "I had to do it; Naraku's turning their jewel shards black again!"

"Is that what's going on? I've been struggling all night with _him!"_ Suikotsu cried, showing Bankotsu his crystal, glowing a bright white.

"I know. I've been having trouble too. Like someone trying to tell me to kill Kagome, and then go on after this Sesshomaru, _like he'd ordered me to!_ How dare he do this to me and my brothers! Ginkotsu, are you alright?"

"Yes. But will _they_ be alright?" he asked. In response, Suikotsu began to crawl to Jakotsu's prone form.

"They will be alright, but you have to leave the arrows in for a while. I'm the one who shot them. I can remove them later," she told the doctor. And although she didn't say it, she wanted to say that she'd love to leave Renkotsu's in on a permenant basis.

"It's true. Jakotsu had been shot recently, did he tell you, Big Brother? Anyway, he had hardly any damage when I went to treat him. Apparently, at least these fucking jewel shards have some sort of benefit..." Suikotsu spat. "Kagome, will you shoot me too, please? I don't think I'm going to be able to keep this struggle up all night."

Kagome did so, with tears in her eyes. If only she knew how to help that poor, poor man! Of all these men, he was one of the ones she could actually trust. The arrow sunk into his upper chest, and he murmured "Thank you," as he slowly sunk to the ground. Well, maybe there was one other one she could trust...she turned to Ginkotsu and stood on her tiptoes to reach his face. Or rather, what was left of it. He had one eye covered with a patch of metal. The other one was rimmed with metal, but it was open. Even his jaw was metallic! So, she tried to find just one place on his face that had his original skin on it, and when she found it, she kissed him.

"Thank you for helping me before," she whispered. "I know it must have been hard for you to do that."

"Anytime, sweet one," he answered, sighing.

Bankotsu cocked an eyebrow. "Hmm, what's going on here?"

"Your brother is a true guardian." Kagome liked the way she said that. So _Kikyo-like._

"And I'm not?" Banktosu asked in mock outrage.

"No, you're terrible! You only managed to save us in the absolute last possible second!" Kagome complained.

Bankotsu drove Banryu into the earth, then leaned on the halberd and crossed his arms. "Well, I'm sure my brother's jewel shards wouldn't be turning black if Naraku wasn't so keen on killing you!"

Kagome's stomach went cold. She had to convince him otherwise, or she was done for! "No, Naraku is undermining your authority over the Band. Look how Renkotsu's been acting! And even with Suikotsu having his crystal, he's still struggling! Did he used to struggle before like this?"

Bankotsu was very silent. His midnight eyes looked very sad as he gazed upon his three brothers with sacred arrows piercing them. As much as he would love to make Kagome into his scapegoat, he knew, deep down, that she was right. Naraku really could not be trusted. "You know, I didn't want to tell them that they were brought back by a demon. We'd fought demons many times in our past lives. We _had_ worked one other time for a demon. It was actually a very profitable experience, come to think of it."

"Gessh! She paid us very well indeed!"

"Really? I thought demons had no money," Kagome frowned.

"Who said anything about money? No, what she paid us with was far, far more valuable..." Bankotsu declared.

"Hey, you mean those powers you and Renkotsu were talking about earlier? Kagome guessed.

Bankotsu shot a glare at Ginkotsu. "I'm sorry Big Brother. I didn't know she could still hear us!"

"Look, Kagome, don't think you can just take over here! Just who do you think you're dealing with here?" Bankotsu yelled.

"I think I'm dealing with someone who doesn't understand the danger he's really in!" Kagome yelled back.

Bankotsu's frown marred his handsome face considerably. "Just what do you think I should do about this? I can't just tell Naraku to take his jewel shards and shove them, even though I'd love to do it! Why do you care anyway?"

_Well, there's a great question! Why do I care?_ Kagome's mouth simply moved dumbly, but nothing came out. "The more I've been involved in this job, the more I'm dismayed. On the one hand, Naraku gave me the means to revive myself and my brothers. I'd never dreamed I'd be able to ever do something like that! If your family were to be executed in front of you, and then someone gave you the chance to bring them back, wouldn't you do it?

"But on the other hand, I've never seen one person with so many enemies. And he's not just some unpopular daimyo. He's pissed off just about eveybody south of here. One of them already killed Kyukotsu. Another one just killed Mukotsu. And now, I'm supposed to go after this Sesshomaru too? He's promised me everlasting life with the jewel shard if I destroyed his enemies. But I'm starting to wonder if this job is...right. But I can't go back on my word! Naraku will take the jewel shards back, and we will die!"

"He already seems to think you are going back on your word. And he'll take the jewel shards back anyway. Unless...that's the whole idea in the first place. To divide and conquer! I warned Renkotsu; Naraku plays games with you, then destroys you. He's in the 'playing games' stage. He'll soon grow bored of amusing himself with you. He'll just send you all to your deaths trying to defeat his enemies, then take back those jewel shards! I can see in your eyes that you know I'm right." Kagome argued.

"Maybe then what I should do is take you back to Mount Hakurei and turn you over to him, and confront him about all this. He's probably still too weak to leave there. What's he going to do? Chase me?" Bankotsu asked.

Kagome wanted to shake her head, roll her eyes, something. There were times when this Bankotsu reminded her very much of Inuyasha. This was definitely an "Inuyasha Brain Fart" moment. "You can't go back to him. Look around you! You know I'm right! Get away from Naraku! We can help you! We're all going to defeat him! We can use your help!"

"I will not ally myself, or the Band, to people who have killed my fellow brothers. I know the peril we are facing, but none of my brothers would stand for it any more than I would. This means I can't be your ally either, Kagome."

_Ugh! Men are such rock-heads sometimes!_ She glanced back at Ginkotsu, who looked very glum, but was nodding in agreement with his Big Brother. Damn! Kagome did not want these jewel shards back in Naraku's hands. If keeping the Shichinitai alive was what it took, then she would do it. But this Bankotsu wasn't making it easy for her!

Well, when all else fails, yelling at Inuyasha sometimes helped, she recalled. "You know, your brother Mukotsu wouldn'tve gotten killed if he hadn't been trying to...um, get my jewel shards!"

Bankotsu stared at her. "How did my brother die, exactly? Jakotsu told me this Sesshomaru killed him. You were there. You saw what happened."

"No I didn't actually. I was paralyzed on the floor of a hut, and Sesshomaru burst in there, pushing Mukotsu out. That was the last I saw of him until I saw his bones..."

"He paralyzed you with his poison, just to get your jewel shards? Why bother doing that when he could have killed you? It certainly would have been easier!" Bankotsu commented.

Kagome's hands balled into tiny fists. "You know why that creepy creature kept me alive? He wanted me alive so he could rape me!" she screamed.

Bankotsu seemed unimpressed. "Well, did he?" he asked.

"You could show a little more concern, you know! I was scared out of my mind, while he was dressing me in a bridal veil and telling me what a fine wife I'd make him and how he was sorry he was a bit inexperienced, as if _I_ was more experienced than _he_ was! Oh, so now you feel sorry for what he did! Don't bother showing that you care!" Kagome raged.

"Oh, Big Brother, _he_ got to her first!" Ginkotsu wailed.

Bankotsu looked stricken again, much like when he'd been recalling his brothers' executions. He eyed the three on the ground, then growled, "Kagome, wake those useless shits up. Right now!"

Something about the vehemence in his voice made Kagome do it. She went to each one, and pulled the sacred arrows. They dissolved in her hand, just like Inuyasha's had when she pulled it from his chest all that time ago. Suikotsu, Jakotsu, and Renkotsu all stirred back to life. "Hey, what happened? Why am I out here?" Jakotsu grumbled.

"Never mind that! I had her shake your sorry asses back up again so soon only because Ginkotsu and I just found out something very important!" Bankotsu announced very gravely.

"What's that?" Renkotsu asked, glancing at Kagome and showing the dread on his face.

"Apparently, Kagome is _Mukotsu's widow!"_ Bankotsu answered. At first, Kagome was just about to yell that Bankotsu had gotten it all wrong, that Mukotsu and she weren't really married before Sesshomaru killed him. But she didn't get the chance to protest before the other three brothers spoke up.

"You should have said something!" Renkotsu growled hoarsely.

"Kags! Oh, shit!" Jakotsu gasped, shaking his head.

"Big Brother, surely this changes everything," Suikotsu asked, looking to Bankotsu, whose face was so grave it was frightening Kagome. _How did this change anything?_ She was afraid to know the answer.

* * *

_Next chapter, you'll find out why it's so important. Also, I'd love a little more feedback on my Jakotsu romance idea being integrated into this story or as a separate story (which is what I'm really more inclined to do, so I don't shortchange either story). More Spanx from the Banks!_


	6. The Little Sister

Little Sister

Chapter 6: The Little Sister

Shippo alternated glaring at Inuyasha and Koga. Inuyasha sat in silence with his back turned to the fire that Miroku and Sango had started earlier, while Koga paced. In Shippo's eyes, they had both failed Kagome miserably by letting those human scum capture her.

"If I find any of them, I'll rip their jewel shards out of their necks with my bare hands," Koga growled.

"Not before I find out if any of them even touched her! Never mind their _jewel shards,_ if that's the case!" Inuyasha howled.

_"This is the third night she's been gone!_ And those _cowards_ are hiding behind that damned barrier!" Koga continued his anxious pacing. Even more than Inuyahsa, the wolf demon was one who hated waiting games. The sacred barrier of Mt. Hakurei was preventing him from persuing the woman he loved more than his own life. "And you, you damned _Mutt,_ don't even mention the possibility that they might have..."

Suddenly, Shippo piped up. "Stop fighting you guys! We've already figured out those jerks wouldn't _kill_ Kagome! She can see the Shikon Jewel shards, so they'll probably try to do what _you_ tried to do with her. Help them find them!" he yelled at Koga. But even as Shippo said this, he looked at all the grown-ups faces. In his innocence, he didn't know that Kagome could be hurt in other ways, except maybe beaten up or something. But they all seemed quite despairing of Kagome's fate in this regard.

"We don't have to worry so much about the mechanical one," Miroku pointed out.

"Why not? He could shoot her!" Shippo cried.

"Yeah, you're right. And I suppose that freaky one won't bother her either," Koga added, ignoring Shippo.

"But Sango said he _hates_ girls!" Shippo fretted.

"If their leader tells that nut to keep his sword to himself, he'll do it. Yeah, you're right about him. You know, if they would let her go, and they would take me instead, he could do whatever he wanted to me..." Inuyasha said quietly.

Miroku's eyes widened slightly, Sango gasped, and Shippo just said, "Don't do that! Then Kagome would just get mad at you."

"Hey, what are you, her _spokesman_ all of a sudden?" Inuyasha asked irritably. "Why don't you just stay out of grown-up talk, _kitsune!"_

"Oh, so you admit you don't have what it takes to defeat that bunch of _human_ garbage! Leave it to a _real_ demon to save her, why don't you?" Koga sneered.

"When you get through that _fucking_ barrier, you let me know!" Inuyasha ordered him. Shippo nearly laughed. If Kagome had been around, Inuyasha'd have been ordered to _Sit_ for that one, since he just said the magic f-word in front of impressionable ears like Shippo's.

"They won't be able to hide in there forever! And when they come out..." Koga breathed.

_"I'll_ be all over them in two seconds flat!" Inuyasha finished.

"Oh? _I'll_ be there one second earlier!" Koga snapped. Shippo wanted to sigh. A nearly exact version of this argument had made its debut this morning. By now, it was getting old and pointless, except that it seemed to make Inuyasha pace around less if Koga was doing the pacing instead, and they seemed calmer after screaming at eachother. Shippo would have to make sure he made a full report to Kagome once she came back to them.

Yes, _once_ she came back, not _if_ she came back to them.

During all the pointless fights, however, Inuyasha knew what he needed to do. All he needed was the night of the new moon. He'd never dreamed that he'd look forward to that night, but in this case, he could do a lot more in his human form than in his hanyo form. He'd be able to get through the barrier. He'd be able to find Kagome, even if he couldn't track her with his hanyo nose. He'd destroy that bastard who had kidnapped her in the first place, even if he couldn't wield Tetsusaiga. He knew his plan was mostly suicidal, but he didn't care. His sense of forboding could not be quieted unless he thought about his plan, so that was what he did. He could not give up. He would not give up...

* * *

_Mukotsu had sought out the Eldest Brother one night. The Seven had fanned out through the town, their purses full from yet another job. Bankotsu never bothered asking what the others did when they visited large towns and cities; he simply assumed that they were all finding their own amusments as they saw fit. Once in a while, their paths would cross, but ont he whole, Bankotsu would be too busy pursuing his pleasures with a few of the finest women available to worry all that much about the others._

_But that night, after having found a great deal of satisfaction with a pair of lovely twins, Bankotsu had no sooner walked out of the brothel to find Mukotsu kneeling before him. "Big Brother, I must ask you a question. You are wise in ways that I am not. And I must know this answer."_

_Puzzled, since surely, of all the Seven, Renkotsu was the smartest, not to mention the fact that Mukotsu was twice Bankotsu's age, the Band's leader cocked an eyebrow. "Mukotsu, what must you ask me?"_

_"How much pain is a man supposed to be able to endure?" he asked with a tone in his voice that echoed utter despair._

_For a second, Bankotsu pondered the question, then answered, "Every man has a different capacity for pain. I don't know how to answer that question, my brother."_

_Mukotsu sighed. "I fear I may have reached my capacity, Big Brother. Please, let me show you something." The squat, toad-like fellow led Banktosu down a few alleyways and streets into the darkness of an alcove. Mukotsu showed Bankotsu a sheet-covered body._

_"Let me show you my precious bride..." Mukotsu said, pulling back the sheet. Banktosu saw a woman's face, distorted and blackened and swollen. "My beautiful, sweet bride!"_

_"But, Mukotsu, she's dead," Bankotsu told him._

_Mukotsu turned his eyes to Bankotsu, and his pop-eyes narrowed. "Indeed, yes, the slut is dead. Yes, I killed her. But she's still warm. Maybe it would not be so very bad if I were to..." he trailed off, stroking the corpse's shoulder and slipping his fat little hand down under the neckline. "Mmmm, oh yes, my fine bride..."_

_"No, Mukotsu, even you could not commit such a sin!" Bankotsu gasped. "Stop this for the sake of your soul! Do not defile her body in such a way!" As a precaution, Bankotsu dropped to his knees and clasped his hands in prayer._

_"That's so easy for you to say! Have you finished fucking your whores already? It must have been nice, being able to touch them, taste them! Oh yes, with a face like yours," Mukotsu snarled, clapping his plump hands to Bankotsu's cheeks, "you would have no trouble feasting whenever you have an appetite. Heh, heh, and we all know your appetite is quite voracious!"_

_"Mukotsu, I..." Bankotsu faltered._

_"All I want is to be with a woman, Big Brother. I've never been with a woman..." Mukotsu confessed. "I can't bear to see the look they have on their faces when they see what I look like. This one," he said softly, pointing to the dead woman's eyes, "I thought if I blinded her, she wouldn't see me, and then she'd not have that look on her face. But she began to fight me, I accidentally gave her too much of the tincture, and she saw my face! How cheated I feel indeed now!"_

_"Somehow, I don't think if you had succeeded in blinding her, that she would have been all that endeared to you," Bankotsu pointed out._

_"Nonsense! She would have been dependent upon me! We both know that I have more than enough wealth now to take care of a wife! I would have. And I know that the rest of you would have cared for her, if ever I were to die in the service of the Band. You said so yourself!"_

* * *

In that instant, Bankotsu was snapped rather rudely back to the present. "Where were you just now, Big Brother?" That was from Jakotsu. 

"Time traveling," Bankotsu said softly.

"Not funny! What's going on?" Kagome demanded. Bankotsu looked at her, thinking of the fate of one of Mukotsu's other "Brides." None of the other brothers knew of his mad ideas about how he could become a husband at long last. He'd always felt that it was really none of their business. But now, it most definitely was their business, wasn't it?

Bankotsu settled against Ginkotsu's bulk, then murmured into the mechanical brother's ear, "You know, it's okay if you still love her. It's just a little different now." Then, he turned to Kagome. "This is what's going on, Kagome. The Shichinintai began as a group of killers, looking to make profit off the never-ending wars going on. Over time, we evolved into a family. Which, I suppose, might sound stupid to you. I mean, if we're mercenaries, why should we invest any sort of emotional attachment to anyone?"

"No, that doesn't sound stupid at all," Kagome disagreed, thinking of her own group of allies and friends. She loved them all so dearly, and they all depended upon eachother, like a team, when their lives were on the line. Could it be that the Band of Seven was a sort of twisted version of her own "feudal era family?"

"Well, it doesn't matter what you think about it, just what we think about it. Mukotsu was our brother, and he made you his bride. We cannot ignore that. We are honor bound to protect anyone who one of the brothers has committed himself to, even if, _and especially if_, he is gone." All the others nodded, even Renkotsu, who looked like he'd just swallowed a chunk of ice.

"What do you mean? You can't protect me!" Kagome protested.

"Yess!!! You would be safer with us! You're like our little sister now!" Ginkotsu explained. The other Band mercenaries, each one who had seemed an unfeeling killer when she had first met them, nodded in unison.

"We certainly can't turn you over to Naraku!" Jakotsu reminded her.

"What if Inuyasha and the rest of her friends finally track us down? Are we supposed to fight them, seeing as how they are our Little Sister's allies?" Suikotsu asked.

"Not if they back down, we won't. Of course, that pretty much nullifies my deal with Naraku..." Banktosu frowned.

"You mean...?" Kagome gasped.

Bankotsu smiled at Kagome, and the look in his eyes revealed far more than he surely realized he was revealing. "I mean, we need to leave the mountain as soon as possible. But if we run into your friends, they're going to have to accept that we are now your protectors. You were Mukotsu's. That's just how it is. Now, we'd better prepare ourselves to get out of here as soon as we can." The Eldest Brother stalked off after that.

Renkotsu watched Bankotsu leave. He'd seen that look Bankotsu gave her. He climbed onto Ginkotsu's platform again, and patted one of the mechanical one's cannons like he had earlier. "Ginkotsu, I owe you my life for stopping me before. If I had taken her, Bankotsu would have killed me for certain!"

Jakotsu only marginally paid attention to Renkotsu; he had known that the Band's tactician would try something with Kagome. The man was a walking definition of sexual frustration. But right now, he had more important issues on his mind. He slithered off after his big brother.

Jakotsu saw Bankotsu with his head down, resting against his forearm propped against one of the castle's stone walls. He shuddered in the dark silence. Jakotsu tugged Bankotsu's braid gently. "Hey, Big Brother?" he asked softly.

"I can't bear to think of what Mukotsu must have done to her..." Bankotsu whispered brokenly. "My brother, my _dead_ brother! She's _his!_ How could this world be so cruel?"

"Oh, Bankotsu! You're...you're in love with her! Big Brother, don't you realize what's happened here? Renkotsu came this close to fucking her up, down and sideways," Jakotsu began, but Bankotsu cut him off.

"Yes, and I used Ginkotsu's feelings for her to my advantage, using him to keep Renkotsu off her! I'm not blind, my brother! I selfishly wanted to keep her for myself, indeed. But now, I know she belonged to Mukotsu. I can't take her for my own if my own _brother_ had already done so!" Bankotsu confessed with a glint of slight madness in his midnight eyes.

Jakotsu scoffed at this, though he knew better than to point out to Bankotsu that Mukotsu was dead (again). Bankotsu can take his Rules for the Band very seriously. Instead, he asked, "Do you really think that Mukotsu and Kagome actually _had sex?"_

"No, I don't, Jakotsu. That's what worries me more than anything else! If she had gone along with his mad game, she would have been better off. I have no doubt that she fought him, and fighting him when he was determined to have his way with her..." Bankotsu shuddered again. "There was a lapse of time between his 'marriage ceremony' and Sesshomaru's attack. I dare not even contemplate what might have transpired while she was in his clutches."

Jakotsu waited in silence for a few seconds, then he said lightly, "Well, if there's anyone around who could provide her with a bit of sexual healing, it's you, Big Brother."

Bankotsu gave Jakotsu a glare. "Go back to sleep, brother. We've got a lot of ground to cover tomorrow." Jakotsu noticed to his vast amusement that Bankotsu's face looked ever so slightly reddened even in the darkness.


	7. Down the Mountain

Little Sister

Chapter 7: Down the Mountain

Early the next day, the Band with their little sister took their leave of the abandoned castle. Because Renkotsu didn't want to have certain sensitive noses tracking Kagome, he had her put back in the rough black sack again. Bankotsu wasn't too crazy about this idea, and even Jakotsu thought it was pointless. "All Inuyasha ever says is that we smell like graveyard soil and dead bodies anyway!"

"Once we get down the mountain, we're splitting up. Let the dog track us, but he won't know which of us has our little sister. Don't we want her to get back to that well? If he catches up to her, he won't let her leave," Renkotsu countered. "Besides, there's those Saimyosho spying on us too."

"That's the main reason I'm not arguing with this plan. Now, it would be more convincing to Naraku if we encountered this Sesshomaru character as well," Bankotsu said thoughtfully.

"Oh, no, he'll kill all of you!" Kagome fretted from under her sack. "He's a full demon, and he's very powerful!"

"He has not met Banryu, Little Sister," Bankotsu answered gravely. Kagome wanted to groan, but didn't dare. These guys were treating her a bit better, true, but they were all just as crazy as they were before, not to mention that they were still typical Fuedal-Era males. Which is to say, one step forward from cavemen, in her opinion. Bankotsu has decided that, yes, she needed to be brought back to Kaede's village, so she could go back to her time. He didn't ask her for her input, or whether she wanted to go or not. He just decided.

Of course, she really did need to go back. Not only had Jakotsu made his final shopping list, but it turned out that Suikotsu had a request as well. "I haven't been able to get a good set of surgical implements since I was brought back," he had explained as he brought her some food this morning. "Do they still use them in your time? Would you be able to get me something?" How could she say no, especially since Mr. Suikotsu-Hyde hasn't made another appearance since that first day? And then, when Renkotsu found out that she had a major Trig exam, he nearly had an anyuerism.

"You mean, you're _required_ to know this type of mathematics? And you get tested on it?" he asked, stunned at the very idea.

"Um, yeah. If I could just get out of this sack, I could show you my book," she offered.

"Not a chance, Little Sister. I'll get the book out...How this could have slipped my notice?" Renkotsu muttered.

Ginkotsu growled, "Well, _I_ know how it might have slipped your notice."

"Yes, a terrible aberration, I assure you, and not one I plan on repeating. Here, is this it? The one with the dirty brown cover with all the drawings on it? Hmmm..what's this? 'Kagome wuvs Hojo?'" His sinister laugh was barely contained.

"Oh, no! My friend wrote that on my book cover!" Kagome gasped.

Now Renkotsu laughed louder. "Let's see...There's Inuyasha, that Koga demon fellow, and now this Hojo, and let's not forget Ginkotsu. Sounds like you've got a man in every port!" This statement got Ginkotsu growling even louder. "Knock it off, Ginkotsu. So, since I know these others, I must know more about this Hojo."

"Yes, after all, we're your brothers now, and if we don't approve of him, we'll have to get him out of the picture, one way or another," Suikotsu added.

"No, he's a good guy! He's really cute and he's the most popular guy in our class!" Kagome explained quickly.

"Popular with the other girls, you mean? Hmm... sounds like a philandering slime to me!" Suikotsu sniffed.

"What does his family do?" Renkotsu demanded, keeping the game up just a little longer.

"His dad runs a drug store. Um, you know, like an apothocary?" Kagome said.

"Hmph! Sounds like a dreadful bore to me," Jakotsu said, wrinkling his nose. "Not like my Inuyasha!"

"Well, it's not like you're going to be meeting him, since he's from my time!" Kagome spat. "And, for the last time, Inuyasha's _mine_ Jakotsu!"

"Yeah, sure, Girly-girl!" Jakotsu drawled. Kagome couldn't see it, of course, but Renkotsu's face was coloring dangerously. "Once I smell like a Paris Hilton Heiress, he won't be able to resist me!"

"Don't be stupid, Jakotsu! No perfume is going to fool his canine nose! I had a hard enough time covering up my scent! He managed to figure me out by my scent after his nose sorted through all the dead monks I'd killed, the graveyard soil that surrounded the temple, and the clothing I was wearing," Renkotsu explained crossly.

"Hah! See?" Kagome crowed.

"Yeah, yeah, right," Jakotsu huffed. "Besides, you ought to stop talking about all your boyfriends in front of our Big Brother, or he might just have to go kick all their asses!"

At that statement, every brother turned his eyes to Bankotsu, who was very quietly walking slightly ahead of Ginkotsu. His hand was tightly gripping Banryu, and he did not turn around or say a word in response. Jakotsu slipped off Ginkotsu's platform, where he had been lounging, and tugged the big brother's braid.

Bankotsu's eyes turned to Jakotsu, with the pain clearly shining in them. "You _are_ going to kick all their asses, aren't you? Except Ginkotsu, of course; I think that's almost kind of cute, don't you?"

"Jakotsu, go back to them, and leave me alone, please," he sighed quietly.

_"Big Brother, she can be yours. You just have to let it be so,"_ Jakotsu whispered. Bankotsu made no effort to answer, only pointed back to Ginkotsu's direction. Jakotsu was about to go back, but suddenly, a flash of light caught the corner of his eye. "Hey, did you see that? Looks like a storm is hitting down there."

"Yeah," Renkotsu said, standing up with the Trig book in hand. "Shouldn't affect us while we're still this far up the mountain."

"Can I see?" Kagome asked, pulling the sack off her head for a moment to see the clouds below. Lightning bolts were flashing from them. One especially bright one prompted her to say, "Wow, that's a really big one!"

"You know, that's what my old boyfriend always used to say to me when he'd see me," Jakotsu said cheerfully.

"Oh, har har," Kagome chirped. Suikotsu made a slight "tsk" sound, but otherwise made no response. Bankotsu, on the other hand, began laughing.

But this time, it was Renkotsu doing the growling. "Dammit! When is he ever going to stop it? I keep putting up with it and putting up with it! I've done everything to try and stop him, from begging him on my knees to threatening to pull his fucking tongue out of his fool head, but he still does it! He _knows_ I can't stand it! Yet he still finds it necessary to bombard me with references to his _perversion_ every chance he gets!"

"Suikotsu, you got any laxatives for Renkotsu there?" Jakotsu asked, rolling his eyes.

Renkotsu's eyes narrowed very dangerously. But now, Bankotsu had his attention fully on his quarrelling brothers. _"Renkotsu, stand down!"_ he warned the very irate brother.

"Why do you keep letting him do it?" Renkotsu raged, even as he sat back down onto Ginkotsu's platform.

"Why do you keep letting it get to you? You've been with the Band for years, Renkotsu! You've known Jakotsu for all that time, and you've always known that he's homosexual. You've always known that this never interfered with his ability to fight, and win, in battle! So if he cracks a joke here and there about it, I don't make a big deal, especially since we've bombarded him with plenty of tales of wenching and women over the years, which I'm sure he didn't really want to hear either," Bankotsu snapped.

"Eh, I don't care that much, but I always make my opinion known, in any case," Jakotsu commented.

"Yes, and don't think that doesn't annoy me as well!" Renkotsu persisted.

"Renkotsu, like it or not, Jakotsu is the way he is. You are the way you are. Quite frankly, as long as it does not come to blows, I really don't care what you two say to eachother. Just remember that you both were buried in the same grave, and if we do not keep ourselves together, you both may wind up buried together for an eternity," Banktosu warned them very sternly. That effectively put the topic to rest.

A little later, Kagome, who was getting very bored in her sack, asked for Bankotsu. "Sorry, Little Sister, but he's out of earshot. What did you need?" Renkotsu asked.

"He's the Big Brother, even though he's the youngest, which I guess I get. But then, who was the next one in the Band?" she asked.

"Okay, the order in which we all joined, which I suppose is what you're asking is this: Jakotsu, Kyukotsu, myself, Mukotsu, Ginkotsu, and then Suikotsu," Renkotsu answered.

"Oh, does that make Suikotsu the little brother?" Kagome asked.

"No! The only way we'd ever have a little brother, I suppose, is if Jackasskotsu here ever got a new boyfriend, a day I'm not especially looking forward to!" Renkotsu couldn't help but say.

"You don't need to worry," Jakotsu said in an unusually cold tone. "I will never be committing myself to anyone ever again. And even if I did, I'd keep him far away from you and your abusive tongue anyway." Kagome shrank back into her sack. She seemed to be getting Jakotsu's feathers ruffled every time she said a word.

Finally, night fell on the mountainside. Kagome was grateful to be allowed to walk around a bit, of course, always accompanied by one of her new brothers. Jakotsu was typically the one to accompany her, since it was clear that certain other brothers might not be entirely trustworthy just yet. "Listen, I'm sorry about before. It seemed like anything that came out of my mouth was causing you trouble," she ventured, trying to make him feel better.

"Don't worry, Kags. Renkotsu is just being an asshole. I guess since he'd been dead for a while, then awakened, he just hasn't remembered that the only thing that ever improves his temper is getting laid. He thinks he's so smart. Just because he's got the brains around here doesn't mean he's immune to some very _basic_ needs..." Jakotsu frowned.

Kagome shuddered a little. Sure, if things had just worked out a bit differently, Renktosu would have been all smiles today, at her expense! She glanced back at Jakotsu, who had a torch to light their way, since it was really dark. The moon was completely absent from the sky. But somehow, this didn't seem to faze the Shichinintai brother, who suddenly whistled very sharply. Kagome gasped as Jakotsu pulled her down to the ground along with himself. "Watch out!" he warned her as a few shots soared over thier heads from Ginkotsu's guns.

"What's going on?" Kagome asked him.

"There's someone here," Jakotsu answered in a murmur. Suikotsu and Renkotsu appeared right after he said it. Jakotsu pointed to his right, and Suikotsu disappeared through the trees. Jakotsu then handed Kagome off to Renkotsu, and started looking very keenly at the ground.

After a few rather silent moments, Jakotsu waved Renktosu and Kagome in his direction, then led the way through the woods. After a few more moments, Renkotsu asked quietly, "What do you see?"

"It's a human, probably male, barefoot..." Jakotsu analyzed. "Who among your friends walks barefoot? Not the monk..."

"No, it's not the monk, it's Inuyasha! Fuck it all, I _knew_ he'd track her by her scent!" Renkotsu hissed.

"No, but it's a human!" Jakotsu reminded him.

"How can that be? Unless...he _is_ a half demon, after all. That means he's also _half human!_ He probably got through the barrier which purified his demonic powers, but his human side still remains! Isn't that so, little sister?" Renkotsu surmised. "This should be very interesting..."

Just then, Kagome heard a bit of a rukus up ahead, and a few seconds later, Suikotsu emerged with his captive in tow. A young man with long black hair, dressed in red and with a familiar set of beads around his neck. "So...are your friends anywhere nearby? Or did you sneak off by yourself?" Renkotsu asked him.

"I'm not tellin' you anything!" the young human said.

Jakotsu finally approached. "Oh my goodness, it _is_ my Inuyasha!" He nearly grabbed the poor young man out of Suikotsu's clawed hands, but Kagome pulled Jakotsu back as much as she could. "What, no ears? But how can you still be so _adorable_ without those ears?"

"What's going on here?" Bankotsu asked, making his appearance at last. "So, you were so determined to get to Kagome that you went through the barrier, thereby purifying yourself, and since you don't know how to use your human powers, you allowed yourself to get captured easily by my brothers! Oh, Inuyasha, I was hoping for better out of you. Naraku seemed so fearful of you." Bankotsu waved Banryu overhead, and it began to crackle with power.

"What do you mean, _human powers? _I don't know what you're talkin' about!" Inuyasha spat.

"Yes, unfortunately for you, you don't," Bankotsu sighed.

"Big Brother, if we kill him and bring his head to Naraku, surely that would lead him to beleive we are loyal, and he will let us keep the jewel shards!" Renkotsu said.

Kagome screamed. "NO!!! Please don't, you can't!"

"Wait, Big Brother, don't kill him just yet," Jakotsu chimed in. "I haven't had a chance to find out if he's really _the one!"_

"Jakotsu, what do you think you're doing? We don't have time!" Renkotsu protested.

"It'll just take a minute!" Jakotsu whined, then plowed out of Kagome's grasp and tackled the unfortunate Inuyasha to the ground. As though Inuyasha knew what was coming, he turned his head side to side trying to avoid Jakotsu's lips, but abruptly, he stopped moving. Jakotsu had stuck a needle in his neck, one laced with one of Mukotsu's paralyzing poisons. Since he couldn't move anymore, Jakotsu had no trouble placing a long deep kiss on Inuyasha's lips.

After a few seconds, Jakotsu drew away, looking a bit disappointed as he cupped Inuyasha's face in his hands. "Too bad too. You're cute as hell, but you're not _him._ Oh, Bankotsu, what am I going to do? I'll never find him at this rate! We can't get killed before I find _him!"_

Renkotsu was fuming. "What the hell are you blathering about?"

"Never you mind, Renkotsu! Jakotsu, get away from him; I think he's had more than enough of you. Now then, Kagome, I think you'd better tell Inuyasha that you're not harmed and that you're remaining with us, to help us find more jewel shards. Just a nod will do, understand? We're not going to tell him where we're going next. We're not going to hang around here to wait for his other allies to show up here, _and if you don't nod, I'll run Banryu straight through his neck and do just as my wise brother suggested,"_ Bankotsu said very coldly.

Kagome nearly shrieked when Bankotsu brought Banryu down, pointing about an inch from Inuyasha's neck. Surely he wouldn't really do it, would he? But that halberd was so close! Holding the scream in her mouth, Kagome nodded. Bankotsu swung Banryu up, then drove it into the ground next to him. "Suikotsu, take her back to camp. Renkotsu, Jakotsu, accompany him, get us ready to leave."

His brothers obeyed him, Suikotsu dragged Kagome away, even though she began to sob. The other two stalked off after them. Inuyasha struggled to say something through his paralysed jaws, so Bankotsu knelt down beside him.

"Well, now you've seen her. Now you know she's unharmed. What more do you expect from me?" Bankotsu asked coldly.

"Wh...why dint you killlmeee?" Inuyasha drawled.

"I gave my word to Kagome that I wouldn't if she cooperated with us," Bankotsu answered.

"Letergo ankill me..." Inuyasha begged.

"I can't do that. I won't do that, so you can just forget it."

_"Please!"_

Bankotsu ignored Inuyasha as he took out a small, thick, candle-looking thing from his supply belt. "I will not risk making Kagome hate me. If I kill you, that's what will happen. Do you understand that? Do you understand what I'm telling you?" Inuyasha's face didn't change, but the look in his eyes told Bankotsu that he understood; he was defying Naraku completely now, and all because he didn't want to make Kagome hate him.

"Yullneva survivedis," Inuyasha warned Bankotsu.

"I'm sure I will for a while, since Naraku doesn't need to know that we've run into eachother and had this little chit-chat. I'm sure you're not going to run and tell him. Here, I'll do you a favor..." Bankotsu snapped his fingers, and a spark flew from them. It lit the cord at the end of the candle-looking thing, which began to hiss and sparkle. A few seconds later, it sent a shower of pure white sparkles into the night sky. "You're friends will be able to track you down now. But don't worry, by the time they get here, we'll be long gone. Just remember the next time we meet that I spared your life. And just remember why I did that." With that, Bankotsu vanished into the night.

Inuyasha could only stare up into the sky above him, at the mass of stars above. _Kagome, be careful! He's obsessed with you..._ he thought in his anguish. What would he do if he lost her?

And Bankotsu's thoughts were no less desperate as he ordered Ginkotsu to roll on out of that area, carrying the rest of his brothers. _Kagome loves Inuyasha. And it's obvious that he'd die for her. There surely can't be room for me in her heart. The right for me to do would be to let her go, but I can't! What will I do if I lose her?_


	8. Women Trouble

Little Sister

Chapter 8: Women Trouble

The Band were going to split up as Renkotsu had planned for them to do, only the breakdown of who goes with who had changed. Mostly because now Bankotsu absolutely refused to let Kagome out of his sight. Renkotsu was quite annoyed about this, and had reminded Kagome that she needed to study for her test, and that he had wanted to help her. Banktosu however was having none of it. "I don't give a shit about math tests!" he'd growled.

"I'm sure Kagome wishes she could say the same thing," Renkotsu countered.

"She's going with me, and that's the end of the discussion. We'll meet at the cave in three days. If you're not there, I'll just assume you've gotten killed and not wait up for you. Understand?" he reiterated. Each brother nodded, and then Jakotsu, Suikotsu, and Ginkotsu with Renkotsu on his platform all made their seperate ways.

"Bye, Kags! See ya in three days!" Jakotsu boomed as he sauntered off, with Jakotsuto on his shoulder. Kagome watched them all leave, even finding herself waving goodbye. Maybe it's true what they say about abducted people, that after a while, you just get used to being their captive and don't try to escape. She'd been this group's captive longer than she'd ever been anyone elses' captive, after all. Surely that was all it could be.

"Are you alright?" Bankotsu asked her.

"Yeah, I guess," Kagome moped.

"I swear to you on my immortal soul that I did not harm one hair on Inuyasha's head," Bankotsu told her. He took her hand into his. "Do you beleive me?"

"Yeah, I do. I knew you hadn't hurt him after I saw the flare," she admitted.

"Ah, so you saw that flare? Each of us carries one when we're going into situations where we have to split up but we still are near enough to reach eachother if needed. The flares let us know who's in trouble and needs help. Mine's white. Jakotsu's is yellow, Suikotsu's green, Renkotsu's blue, Ginkotsu's is orange. You know, Mukotsu's used to be red, maybe that's what we'll make yours..."

"No, I want pink!" Kagome announced.

"You can't have pink; I promised Jakotsu I wouldn't let anyone else have pink if he couldn't have it!" Bankotsu winced.

Kagome began to giggle. "That Jakotsu! He's too much! Poor Inuyasha! Will he ever get over it, I wonder?"

"I'm sure when you see him again, he can tell you," Bankotsu snorted. "Though I'm not sure he'll want to talk too much about it."

"Why do you say that? You mean I really will see Inuyasha again?" Kagome asked.

"I told you, I left him unharmed. If he makes it to this village with the well eventually, then you'll see I was telling you the truth."

"No I believed you when you said you hadn't hurt him; I just thought that you didn't want me to ever see Inuyasha again," Kagome corrected him.

"Kagome, do you still hate us?" Bankotsu asked.

"I...I don't...hate you. Well, I mean, I'm not so sure about Renkotsu yet, but Suikotsu can actually be really really nice, and Ginkotsu's kind of sweet. Hey wait a minute, you guys are supposed to be merciless killers! What am I talking about?"

"Ah, so, you are conflicted, like I am. I was supposed to kill you and your friends, and now here you are, calling us names like 'sweet' and 'nice.' But you're our little sister now. So that's why we're starting to get along so well, right? I mean, you even get along with Jakotsu, right? Even though he's always had a particular dislike for women, he's taken to you."

"That's probably because I promised him I'd get him some stuff from my time..." Kagome smirked.

"No, that's not what I mean," Bankotsu said, but didn't say, _he's trying to match us up._

"Well, you don't think it's because he's trying to match us up, do you?" Kagome asked outright. Bankotsu nearly stumbled over his feet when she said that.

"Uh, oh, no, no, that's not it!" Bankotsu lied. "I mean, why, he's said something to you?"

"He's about as subtle as your Banryu," Kagome answered in a droll tone. "He asked me whether I liked your braid."

"WHAT?" Bankotsu gasped, gripping his braid without even thinking and then doing something he probably hadn't done in many years...blushing until his face turned scarlet. "I can't believe he did that! Ugh, no wonder Renkotsu gets frustrated with him! I ought to wring his fucking neck when I see him next! Uh, sorry, I shouldn't be talking like that around you..."

"Oh, _now_ you worry about your language? And all he said was he thought you should cut your hair! Don't you think you're over reacting just a little bit?" Kagome yelled.

"Do you think I should cut my hair?" Bankotsu asked in a strangely soft voice.

Without even missing a beat, Kagome yelled, "No! I think you're perfect!"

"Really?" he asked with excitement. Kagome gasped, realizing what she'd just said, and he gasped too, realizing what _he'd_ just said. "Okay, we'll just forget we had this conversation, okay? I'm going to take you back to your village after we stop at the safety cave. You're Mukotsu's widow, and we did not just have this conversation. Understand?"

"No," Kagome shot back.

"Well, that's too bad, then, I think I've made myself perfectly clear," Bankotsu announced, heaving Banryu back onto his shoulder and beginning to stride very purposefully down the dirt road."

"Well, the only thing that's perfectly clear to me is that you're acting like a big jerk!" Kagome screamed, now on a roll.

"That's because I'm your big brother!" Bankotsu yelled back.

"NO YOU'RE NOT MY BIG BROTHER!" Kagome insisted. "I'M NOT MUKOTSU'S WIDOW, AND YOU'RE NOT MY BIG BROTHER!!!" She began to sob, much like she did when Renkotsu had been hassling her a couple of days ago. She did not understand what was going on with her, why she was getting so confused and conflicted, but she knew who was instigating it.

Suddenly, she felt a pair of strong hands on her shoulders. "Kagome, look at me! It's okay! I promise, I won't hurt you! I'm going to protect you!" he tried to explain between shrieks. "I'm not like Mukotsu was, Kagome! I...don't think of you like that. You're my little sister now. I can't do...that with my _little sister!"_

_"I'M NOT YOUR LITTLE SISTER!"_

At first, Bankotsu's dismay at her outburst made him question what she was really trying to say. At first, he thought she was afraid of him. But now, he was wondering...if possibly... He very gently began to wipe Kagome's tears away while cupping her chin. She seemed to calm down, and even smiled very slightly. This made him smile, and lower his face towared hers. _No, I suppose she isn't really my little sister after all. Thank goodness for that!_

His lips were close enough to hers to feel her heat, and his mouth opened slightly, preparing to descend, but then, he heard an awful leering laugh. It was very familiar, and vaguely sickening, especially now. "You'd best keep your hands off _my wife!"_ the voice warned him. _Oh, no! What am I doing?_ Bankotsu gasped, and drew back, leaving Kagome bit breathless, but also, a bit bewildered.

"Did you hear that?" Bankotsu asked.

"Hear what?" Kagome asked.

"Never mind. We need to get going, little sister." Bankotsu took her hand in one of his, and he prayed silently that Kagome wouldn't start screaming again. Mercifully, Kagome tagged along as silently as he led her.

* * *

Suikotsu travelled alone, or so it would appear. But of course, he was _never_ really alone. He decided to crouch down behind some brush beside the forest path around midday, and when he did, he held Kagome's pressed powder compact in one clawed hand. He'd found the item in her bag of modern wonders and took it, not for the makeup (which he should have given to Jakotsu, but _he_ wouldn't let him be that generous!) but of course for the mirror. When he looks into a mirror, he sees his other self.

"I felt you calling me all morning, what is it?" the doctor asked.

_"Have you gotten rid of the crystal like I told you to?"_ Suikotsu asked him back, from the mirror.

"Of course not! I'm no fool, and you need to stop telling me to dump the crystal. Big Brother will not be pleased if he has to make me another one," the doctor answered.

_"Bah! Big Brother makes you carry that crystal so the when we fight, he gets to kill more people than he would if I was in complete control!"_

"Whatever. If that's all..." Doctor frowned.

_"No, fool, that's not all! _She's_ been following us all morning, you know."_

Suikotsu glanced past his reflection in the mirror. A drawn bow and arrow was pointed at him from behind a tree, he saw. With a smirk, Suikotsu told his reflection, who was now Doctor, "Looks like she's not gotten over you yet, Stud. Hmmm...maybe this time, I'll get _my_ turn with her!"

_"Crystal. Now."_ Suikotsu heard the command from his alter, but struggled. _"Crystal! Now!"_ With a shaking hand, Suikotsu gripped the white crystal around his neck. Then, he looked in the mirror one more time. The reflection with the crystal in hand was a true reflection of the man looking into it. Dr. Suikotsu sighed with relief; he was one again. He should really keep the crystal in his grip all the time, and not leave things to chance so much, but _he_ won't let him. Well, that problem was solved temporarily. Now, he had a new one to face...

"Kikyo? I know you're there. It's alright; I'm not angry that you've been following me. I suppose you wish to see my jewel shard again, right? Well, here it is." Suikotsu stood up, and leaned his head slightly back, as though showing off his neck. "But I would have thought you'd had a good enough look at it while I was on top of you last week. Or, maybe, hopefully, you were occupied with other things? Yes, maybe that's it..."

The bow and arrow lowered, but this did not by any means indicate that an attack was not imminient. On the contrary, the priestess strode quite fearlessly over to the mercenary and promply gave him a hard slap across his face. Suikotsu laughed and rubbed his cheek. Kikyo looked a bit flushed herself, he thought with some satisfaction. "Yes, I suppose I deserved that, but then again, my darling miko, so did you. Oh, I see now! You thought I was so addled that I'd forgotten about our evening? As if I'd forget that! I know that there were lots of children in the very next room, so we had to keep things quiet, but I promise that next time, we'll have a bit more privacy!"

Kikyo gave him a very dirty look, in spite of the growing flush in her cheeks. "I was nearly killed by your brothers last week, _darling,_ so I'm not so sure about a repeat of last week!" she snapped.

"Yes, well, Jakotsu gets extra vigorous with his sword when women are around," Suikotsu explained.

"It wasn't _him!_ It was the...machine," Kikyo frowned.

Suikotsu frowned too. "You mean Ginkotsu? If I had my powers back, he wouldn't be a machine..." He stared at his crystal, then he fell to his knees before Kikyo. "Please, I need your help! Bankotsu is sending Kagome back to her own time, down a well. She's the only one who can purify the jewel shard in my neck if it turns black. Except, _you_ could do this too. I beg you to forgive me and my brothers enough so that you could possibly help me. Naraku has been trying to control us while he builds his strength in Mount Hakurei. Our demon master is the one who has been turning the jewel shards black, so that we do his bidding!"

Kikyo gasped. "You _know_ the jewel shards can turn black! Kagome must have told you!"

"Yes, she's had to purify us a few times already. Please, Kikyo, the only thing that keeps me alive is the jewel shard, which in turn might mean the death of me again! If you feel more comfortable about it, you can follow me from a distance, as you have been. If you see the shard turn black, you can shoot me with your sacred arrow. Don't worry, the jewel shard keeps me from getting too injured from the arrow. Been there, done that already..." Suikotsu explained.

She looked down into Suikotsu's dark eyes and she nearly shook her head with confusion; his eyes were like a grateful puppy's. "How can I possibly say no?" Kikyo sighed. Last week, he'd been ready to slice open anyone who'd crossed his path, and now, his eyes were back to those of that kindly doctor who had seduced her with his gentleness and sweetness. _How could this be the same man? What sort of madness has gripped his mind?_ she thought sadly as he kissed her hand, though he still wore a set of clawed gloves on his own hands...

* * *

_Sorry I hadn't posted this a little earlier, I had to kind of write this on the fly this evening, because earlier today I had a terrible migraine and couldn't even look at a computer screen, let alone write anything. _

_Well, this is the first of the "unusual pairings" I'd been talking about in my story description. Jakotsu's pairing isn't for a few more chapters at least, but fear not, his turn is coming!_


	9. A Big Brother's Job

Little Sister

Chapter 9: A Big Brother's Job

_NOTE: The next couple of chapters might have a little action in them, but there's also going to be lots of background info and flashbacks on the Shichinintai, as I lay down the groundwork for the rest of the story. Naturally, it's all conjecture on my part as to the real backgrounds of the brothers, (I'm even giving them all real names!) but I'm trying to keep them in character anyway. Let me know what you think, please!_

Jakotsu stuck to the narrow forest paths. He'd probably be the first one to get back to the safety cave. Of all the brothers, Jakotsu was the best tracker. It was a kind of knack, much like the one he had for swordfighting. He'd been trained as a young boy by one of the emperor's own samurai, and his skills had developed quickly. He was very lucky to have recieved that training, actually, because his mother was a seamstress. Very renowned seamstress, yes, but still working class, even if she did clothe the Empress of Japan herself. In Kyoto though, he never really used those sword skills.

How different his life had been before he'd met Bankotsu! He had become a powerful daimyo's manservant, and as such, he'd never touched a sword after his training had ended. His pretty face and his skills in the daimyo's bed had been what secured him in life, not his samurai background, certainly! Not until the day he was spurned by that daimyo, his handsome Yoshinki, that he'd regained his skills with the blade. After all, one does not get dumped by a daimyo and just walk away to talk about it...

* * *

_Hiroshi had gotten quite drunk that afternoon, that day he spent trying desperately to forget his pain and stopped at an inn outside the castle walls. He wanted the pain to cease, but it only grew duller with the liquor, never really stopped. In had stepped a very young man with deep dark blue eyes and a braid that reached the edge of his shoulder, stutting along with a huge halberd on his other shoulder. And while he was beautiful to behold (even through drunken, heartbroken eyes), Hiroshi thought he looked rather silly at the same time._

_"Did you steal that from your papa?" Hiroshi slurred, pointing at that outrageous halberd._

_"What, this? This is my Banryu!" the young man answered proudly, patting the halberd with an odd sort of affectionate caress._

_Hiroshi gave the young man a long look up and down. "Banryu, huh? I'll bet that thing's not the only thing you call Banryu..." he laughed and winked lewdly._

_"Oh, great, I've just returned to Japan, and the first person to welcome me back is a drunken queer!" the young man snorted. Hiroshi did not care, he just let out a loud, echoing laugh and tried to put his arm around the younger man's shoulder._

_"So we know your member has a name, so how about your other head? What's your name?" Hiroshi asked._

_"I call myself Bankotsu!" he answered in utmost seriousness. However, this seriousness was completely lost on the drunken Hiroshi._

_"Oooh! Ban-kot-su! Bad ass!" Hiroshi laughed again. His laugh was infectious; several others, in spite of themselves, began to join in. Bankotsu was not in the least amused. He blushed and flashed Banryu, lowered the great blade in front of Hiroshi's face. But instead of getting alarmed by the deadly weapon's proximity to his neck, Hiroshi examined his reflection in the shiny wide blade. "Oh, I look like shit! Why didn't you tell me I had these bags under my eyes, dammit? No wonder my lover threw me out!"_

_"You look like shit because you keep drinking this cheap shit! Can't you afford better? You dress like you could!" Bankotsu observed._

_"I drink cheap shit because I feel like cheap shit, Bankie-chan!" Hiroshi cried._

_"Hmph!" Bankotsu said, then shook himself loose fom Hiroshi's hold and sat down outside the inn. Hiroshi paid the young man no heed again. After all, he was about to get a few new visitors..._

_"Ah...good, the poor fellow's drunk! We get to put him out of his misery without trouble," he heard from behind him. The speaker was one of three samurai that he knew. They were Yoshinki's men, and though he was very drunk, it was obvious that he was in terrible danger. He knew they must have been sent out to kill him. Deep down, he wasn't surprised at this. Hiroshi knew he'd been sent out too quickly. Probably his now ex-lover hadn't wanted Hiroshi's blood shed in his presence._

_"Are you not even going to let me fight back?" Hiroshi asked._

_All three samurai laughed. "Hiroshi-san, if you wish to be amusing even in your final moments on earth, who are we to deny you that? Get that boy's halberd outside there. We'll let him use that!"_

_"You'll have a tough time taking that thing from him! He's rather attached to it. I know, I'll borrow your blade, and I'll fight one of you. Once I kill one of you, the survivors can fight over your sword," Hiroshi suggested._

_That idea got even bigger laughs than the first one. "You must be drunk! Alright, fine! Here's my sword, and there's your opponent!" Hiroshi knew the one offering his sword was the master samurai; well, he'd get to him a little later. "Now, let's take this outside!"_

_Hiroshi took the sword offerd by the master samurai, pretended to not know how to handle it, and frowned a bit. He was a bit too drunk still to want the sun in his eyes, but fortunately it was late afternoon. So he followed his first opponent and was backed up by the others._

_Once they got outside, however, they soon learned their mistake. Bankotsu watched with wide eyes as Hiroshi sliced apart his first opponent, then took on the other two and obliterated them with a finesse that only the finest samurai could accomplish. Hiroshi noticed the young man's shocked expression. "Oh, you're still here, are you? Not bad for a drunken queer, eh?"_

_"Hey, I...I'm sorry about saying that before. I was just having a bad day, I guess. I met my older brother for the first time in five years, and he wasn't very happy to see me. He threw me out. I had seen those guys," Bankotsu said, pointing at he three dead samurai, "on my way out. Just leering at me. Like someone like me was unfit to darken their doorway. I'm glad you killed them. Could you teach me to kill like that?"_

* * *

Hiroshi had almost refused, but he knew that the boy needed to gain some skill with that halberd he insisted on carrying. And, it turned out, he had nothing better to do either. So, they began to travel together. Learning from eachother.

It turned out that Bankotsu was one of the most open minded yet observant people he'd ever met. He also was powerful, in a way that Hiroshi had never known a person could be. In fact, when Bankotsu complained one day that all of the other brothers he'd ever had were older than him, Jakotsu (as he'd decided to name himself, based on a dirty joke about one-eyed "snakes") suggested that Bankotsu consider himself the Big Brother of the two of them, even though he was actually three years younger than Jakotsu.

The two of them knocked around together for two years before that one strange day when Bankotsu had wandered into a dark, evil forest and came away with the idea for starting a group of mercenaries. Jakotsu had been agreeable to the idea, even though he wondered just how many other warriors out there would understand the ways of the Kotsu Brothers. It turned out there were a few more lost souls looking for direction the way Bankotsu and Jakotsu were...

Which made Jakotsu wonder as he walked the forest paths, did getting executed make those souls who had joined the Band more lost than they were before?

* * *

Bankotsu had been quite disturbed by his imaginings. It was bad enough to be attempting to out run one of the most powerful demons in recent memory, accompanied by a young woman who could destroy him with a flick of an arrow. They were also being persued by this woman's allies, among them Inuyasha, who was quite possibly her lover. It was hard enough to keep the other men under his power in control, since they were all as dangerous and bloodthirsty as he was. But now, to start hallucinating about one of his dead brothers... Bankotsu felt fear creeping into his heart. Fear that he was losing the control that had always been so precarious anyway. Because the truth was, with two of his brothers dead, and the remaining five at such loose ends, the Band had never been in more danger than when they'd been trapped up in the mountains and forced to surrender their lives ten years ago.

And it simply _had to be his fault_ that they were in this danger. After all, he was their leader, their big brother, their master. Where had he gone wrong? Was it when he'd first touched the sacred Jewel shards that Naraku had dropped to the graveyard soil floor? Or was it when Kyukotsu and Suikotsu ran off right after they were brought back from the dead, as he should have remembered that they were so apt to do? Or was it when he let Renkotsu and Ginkotsu strike out by themselves to ambush Inuyasha?

"Um, are you okay?" he heard a small voice ask beside him. Bankotsu wanted to answer, _no, I'm not okay, I'm scared._ But of course, he didn't dare confess fear, especially to an enemy, epecially to an enemy he was helpless to resist.

"I'm fine," he lied gruffly. He heard Kagome sigh, and to him, the sigh sounded like she didn't believe him. "What?" he asked.

"What is it with guys and their fronting? Inuyasha does it all the time, and it drives me _nuts!_ Why can't you just say it when something's bothering you?" Kagome asked irritably. And to accentuate her point, she reached back and tugged his braid.

Bankotsu gasped. Kagome actually giggled at his expression. "You...you messed with The Braid!" he stammered with utmost seriousness. "No one messes with The Braid..."

"Except Jakotsu, right?" Kagome giggled, still with the end of Bankotsu's braid in her clutches. "I'm not gonna let go until you tell me what's going on!" she insisted.

Bankotsu's deep blue eyes narrowed very dangerously. Most men would run away as fast as they could if they had glimpsed his expression. But Kagome simply tightened her grip and even started to undo the tie that held the braid together. "Just what do you think you're doing? I'll let you know, that's not very wise...not very wise at all," he growled.

Kagome had her prize, his hair tie. With a wide smile she watched his eyes glint. "Now, tell me what's bothering you!"

"I...I'm a little worried about Jakotsu, that's all. Remember when he was talking about his old boyfriend? I haven't heard him talk about that...I can't even think of a word to describe him. Maybe Renkotsu could; he's the smart one...Well, anyway, he was also talking about finding 'the one.'" Kagome could tell that Bankotsu wasn't thinking so much about Jakotsu before, he'd looked too disturbed, but it looked like, yet again, Bankotsu was trying to distract her. On the other hand, though, she was a bit intrigued.

"Why? What was so bad about him?" Kagome asked him. "Did you ever meet this guy?"

Bankotsu waited for a moment, then sighed. "You have to promise not to tell Jakotsu, but yeah, I knew the fucking asshole alright. He was a powerful daimyo. He was also a person whose mother had been married to the same individual who, how shall I say this, deposited seed into both his mother and my mother, resulting in two babies," Bankotsu growled angrily.

"Um...you mean he was your _brother?_ Does Jakotsu know that he is your brother?" Kagome asked.

_"Don't call him my brother, Kagome!"_ Bankotsu hissed. "I have four brothers and you have met them all. I had two other brothers as well, one of whom you were married to for a very short time. Those are my brothers Kagome, the ones I picked myself, because my 'real' brothers never gave a damn! And yes, Jakotsu knows that Yoshinki was my half-brother, he just doesn't know that I knew they had been involved. I've always kept it secret, letting Jakotsu think that his deepest secret is still actually a secret."

"Why haven't you been honest with him?" Kagome asked.

"Kagome, please don't tell Jakotsu I know his truth!" Bankotsu begged her. "I am keeper of truths of all my brothers. That's part of the job of a big brother, I think. I have vowed not to tell them eachother's secrets, and in this particular case, I didn't want to strip away Jakotsu's last bit of dignity by telling him I know about Yoshinki. He knows how I despised him. I've always felt that if I told him I knew the truth, that they'd been lovers, that Jakotsu had given everything he had to that...evil, _evil_ creature, that he'd just...I don't know. I think it would kill him!"

Something that Bankotsu said, or maybe the way he said it, cut into Kagome's heart. She could never imagine hating her own brother Sota like that. In fact, even Sesshomaru and Inuyasha probably cared for eachother more than Bankotsu's biological relatives appeared to. She couldn't help it, tears started to spring to her eyes.

"Don't cry, little sister," Bankotsu mumbled, patting her hand stupidly. _Sure, here she was crying, and she didn't even know some of the worst parts of that evil tale,_ Bankotsu thought sorrowfully. The rest of it would likely come out, now that they were back from the grave. He regretted unburdening himself like that, but at least he hadn't told her Jakotsu's real name was _Hiroshi..._

* * *

_Whew! I almost thought this chapter would have to wait till next week! Hopefully you're not all reading Harry Potter so much that you don't have time to read and review!_


	10. Playing With Fire

Little Sister

Chapter 10: Playing with Fire

"Ginkotsu, do you think Kagome is still angry with me?" Renkotsu asked as he rapidly wrote numbers and equations with one of Kagome's pencils into one of her notebooks. "Because if she isn't, I think that maybe I'll ask her to get me one of these paper books with these lines in it. And some of these," he said, holding up the pencil.

"If she's still mad at you, I'll ask her to get them for you. I hope she's not mad at me," Ginkotsu worried.

"Why would she be mad at you? You threatened to blow my head off to protect her. Girls like that kind of stuff!" Renkotsu declared.

"Yes, but I also shot at Inuyasha last night. Girls _don't_ like that kind of stuff!" Ginkotsu countered.

"Hey, too bad if the dog demon man doesn't like getting shot at; just remember what he did to you! It seems like a lot of people, like our big brother, are forgetting about your troubles..." Renkotsu frowned.

"Big Brother hasn't forgotten me. And Suikotsu certainly hasn't forgotten about me!" Ginkotsu pointed out.

"Yeah, Suikotsu is peeved because he doesn't have his power anymore! As far as Big Brother, he's pretty much claimed Kagome as his woman! You saw the look on his face!" Renkotsu answered back. He put the pencil down and mused, "I'll bet right about now, he's making Mukotsu's widow quite merry indeed..." To his satisfaction and amusement, Ginkotsu began to growl. "I know how you feel, my best brother...it's not fair, is it?"

Ginkotsu let out a harrowing sob. It said nothing, and everything, all at the same time. Renkotsu remained silent. _Of course you are miserable! You have virtually no body left. You are dependent upon all of us to survive. And not only that, but now Bankotsu is with the girl you fell in love with, and there's absoulutely nothing you can do about it. Even if he wasn't with her, could you ever be? I think not, Ginkotsu, I think not..._

"Renkotsu, my brother, please...take the jewel shard out of my neck!" Ginkotsu suddenly begged. Renkotsu dropped the notebook in shock, then stood up on Ginkotsu's platform.

"Do you realize what you're asking me to do?" he gasped.

"Yessh...I'm asking you, no, I'm _begging you,_ to end this!" Ginkotsu cried. "You can keep my jewel shard, too. I'm sure you'd like it. I know you could use it better than I could!"

Renkotsu considered this all for a moment. Damn, he hated when people sprung things on him like this! On one hand, if he were to take the jewel shard from Ginkotsu, he'd have two jewel shards, and Ginkotsu would finally be at peace. On the other hand, once Bankotsu found out what Renkotsu had done, he'd kick his ass for sure, and he'd be able to, since the bastard had _five_ jewel shards now...

So, with a hiss and then a growl, Renkotsu snapped back, "Ginkotsu, that was not fair! Don't try to play on my sympathy again! You should know that it won't work anyway; I'm selfish, I always have been, and I want you around! You're my...my _person!_ You don't want me being all alone, do you? I mean, who else can I talk to? Suikotsu? You never really know who you're talking to when you talk to him, do you? Or Jakotsu? Would you like to see me commit suicide again? And you know talking to Banktosu is like sticking a bomb into your mouth, you might as well just give it up, because he's more of a schemer than the rest of us put together. Anything you say to him can, and will, be used against you, my friend! I can't believe you'd be so insensitive to me!"

"Gee, when you put it that way, I guess I was being selfish, wasn't I? Do you really need me?" Ginkotsu asked.

Renkotsu patted Ginkotsu's metal cheek. "More than you know," he replied. Ginkotsu was a simple soul, Renkotsu thought as the mechanical one started rolling forward once again. _Ginkotsu doesn't understand Big Brother. He thinks everyone is as simple as he is._ But Renkotsu knew far better. He learned never to underestimate Bankotsu, even if the boy could barely read and write, even if he sometimes pretended to be some kind of idiot/fuck-machine/goon...

_The sun was bright that day, as it was late spring, and the bridge was busy. In his guise of orange-draped impoverished monk, Fumihiko lowered his straw-hat covered head as a rather odd trio passed his way. The one nearest to him was a very young man, probably no older than sixteen, who carried a giant gleaming halberd. Another tall lanky fellow rode a horse beside him, but he was dressed in woman-like clothing, and also wore a straw hat. Behind them walked a huge giant with nearly green hair and skin to match._

The young man flipped several gold pieces in Fumihiko's direction. Fumihiko stared at the coins but did not touch them. This caught the young man's attention, and so he turned to face Fumihiko head on. "Please say a few prayers for us, monk," he asked.

Fumihiko glanced back down at the coins, then laughed. "That's not enough for me to say prayers for myself, let alone for the Kotsu Brothers..." he replied. The cross-dresser whipped out his sword, and the giant growled and reached for Fumihiko, but the young man simply raised his hand and they stopped in midair.

"You have a very loose tongue indeed to speak like that when you seem to know exactly who you are talking to," Bankotsu frowned angrily.

"You people are not very easy to miss, truth be told. I had to laugh that one of you would be looking for divine aid," Fumihiko smirked.

Jakotsu took out a paper fan and snapped it open. Kyukotsu's stomach growled. Bankotsu glanced behind him and grinned. "You hungry, Kyukotsu? Well, he_ looks rather robust for a monk, come to think of it..." Jakotsu cackled as he fanned his pretty face. Fumihiko stood up and gave them all a serene smile._

"I seriously doubt that even you people would dare attack a monk on a very public bridge," Fumihiko snickered as he sauntered off.

Bankotsu was not one to be dissed so easily, it turned out. He followed Fumihiko across the span of the bridge, and when they all reached the other side, Fumihiko turned to the city gates of a large town. The guardsman let him through easily, seeing how he was dressed. The Kotsus, however, did not fare so well. As Fumihiko strolled down the packed dirt street, he heard Bankotsu protest, "He's no monk!"

Yes, that's true, lad, at least, not anymore. But you don't know who I really am, surely..._ Fumihiko thought as he made his way, with Bankotsu's coins in hand, back to his workshop. No more than five minutes after he started working with the chemical compounds once again, three very familiar mercenaries busted in._

"How did you find me?" Fumihiko gasped.

The young man smiled, and it wasn't a smile that made one feel warm and fuzzy inside, that was for sure. "See Jakotsu? The coins worked!"

"Coins?" Fumihiko breathed, then glanced at the gold on his worktable. He took a gourd from the table and drank from it...

"Don't you blow that crap in my face..." Bankotsu warned, but a mere second later, Fumihiko unleashed an inferno from his mouth. Bankotsu was just barely able to block the flames with Banryu. When Fumihiko saw this, he panicked.

"How did you track me using coins? What do you really want with me?" Fumihiko stammered as Bankotsu grabbed him by his neck.

"Big Brother used an enchantment on the coins. He wants to prove something to me, that his coins can help track someone better than my skills. Trust me, you're more dazzled than I am..." Jakotsu yawned.

"An enchantment?" Fumihiko gasped.

"Hey, what do you mean, you're not impressed?" Bankotsu growled.

"Well, I can't use those coins! Only you can, since you are the one with the magic powers," Jakotsu reported, rolling his eyes.

"Magic powers?" Fumihiko stammered.

"I'm hungry," Kyukotsu complained.

"I'm getting out of here!" Fumihiko yelled, making a run for it out the back door after setting off one of his smoke bombs to cover up his escape. He made it as far as the alleyway before Bankotsu was charging after him.

Fumihiko raced through the streets, knocking down anyone who got in his way. He expected at least one of them to be right behind him, but they were not. Hmph, so much for the Kotsu Brothers..._ Pleased with himself, especially for not taking those gold coins with him, Fumihiko decided to resume his impoverished monk act and ask for alms at the best inn in the town; he'd worked up an appetite._

It was at this inn, nearly an hour later, that two men approached Fumihiko, one from the back door and one from the front. He knew he'd have no way to escape without blowing his cover completely, and he wasn't going to give the young and brash Bankotsu the satisfaction of running from him once again.

Bankotsu, for his part, sat very gracefully before Fumihiko. Jakotsu did likewise, and then took Fumihiko's pot of tea and handed it to Bankotsu. With impeccable skill, worthy of a samurai's tea ceremony, Bankotsu poured Fumihiko a cup of tea. Fumihiko took the tiny cup and glared up at Bankotsu as he brought it to his lips. "What are you two doing here? Where's your big friend?"

"Oh, he's outside, I think he's selecting which horse he's going to eat..." Jakotsu answered.

"Charming..." Fumihiko responded. "Now, please tell me what you want with me!"

Bankotsu ignored the question for a moment, pouring a cup of tea for Jakotsu. Jakotsu took it from his brother, then took the pot and poured Bankotsu a cup. Fumihiko supressed a groan while the two mercenaries sipped tea. Jakotsu watched him grind his teeth, then laughed softly. "What's so funny?" Fumihiko demanded.

"Let me give you a little friendly advice. You seem especially stressed, and I think I know why. Put yourself into the hands of a man who knows what he's doing," Jakotsu answered with a wink. "And don't forget to scream really loud when you come..."

Fumihiko gagged on his tea. Bankotsu advised him very quickly, "Don't make a scene!"

"You come here with a giant left outside with the horses, and a flamboyant queer next to you, and a huge...whatever the hell you call that thing on your shoulder, and you tell me_ not to make a scene?"_

"My weapon is Banryu. Jakotsu has as much right to come in here as someone who parades around as a pious monk, when the three of us know far better! No monk has a workshop filled to the brim with gunpowder and explosives. You got a...thing with fire?" Bankotsu asked knowingly. He touched the flame from the small oil lamp set beside them. It crept onto his fingertip, and Fumihiko drew in his breath as he watched this unbelievable display. "Fire...it's the easiest element to conjure, the easiest to manipulate, but it's also the most difficult to master, isn't it? The trick, of course, is not to get burned..." Bankotsu offered the flame to Fumihiko, who tried to take it into his hands, but could not hold onto it. It burned too much! He dropped the flame, and it landed in front of them, nearly taking hold onto the floor. But Bankotsu snuffed the flame with an overturned teacup. "You asked us what we want with you. We know who you are, and who you used to work for. In fact, he was so irate, he offered us a great sum to catch you and kill you. I turned him down."

"You did? Wait, I'm confused. You turned down an offer of money to kill me, but then you chase me down to kill me for free?" Fumihiko frowned. "Are you two completely mad?"

"No, we're not mad, we're mercenaries, not assassins!" Jakotsu hissed.

Bankotsu added, "He'd told us enough about you to enable us to track you down. I specifically wanted to find you after I heard about what he alleged you were able to do. After seeing that workshop, my information was confirmed. Are you getting tired of playing with fire, but getting burned? We've got a proposition for you..."

"Hey, where were you just now?" a metallic voice interrupted. Renkotsu gave himself a little shake, returning to the present. It turned out that Jakotsu had been the one to track him down to that inn. To this day, Renkotsu was a bit annoyed with himself, that he'd let himself get caught so easily. But then again, his entire life changed that day. No more begging for handouts and coin, no more getting chased by fools who did not understand his genius! With the Band of Seven, Renkotsu had a vast fortune at his disposal (as soon as they got to that damned cave) and no one would dare risk the wrath of Bankotsu by attacking one of his brothers! In time, Bankotsu even managed to trust Renkotsu enough to appoint him the second-in-command. Renkotsu had always thought that Jakotsu would have been selected for that honor, but for his part, Renkotsu had to admit that the eccentric fellow's grace in accepting Bankotsu's decision did him great credit.

"Ginkotsu, I wonder if I give Kagome a lot of notes on her various school subjects, if she might in exchange tell me more about Naraku. I don't understand why Big Brother is so secretive about the one who gave us jewel shards to bring us back from the dead, but I'd sure feel like I was in a better position to act if I knew what we were dealing with," Renkotsu complained.

"We should find out who Onigumo really was," Ginkotsu said.

"I know I've heard that name before, but I can't remember when or where. Let's just keep going, Ginkotsu. With any luck, we might make it there first!" Renkotsu declared as Ginkotsu rumbled down the road.

_Sorry, this chapter's a little slow. Next chapter, the cave and what happens there!_


	11. The Cave

Little Sister

Chapter 11: The Cave

_IMPORTANT NOTE: Apparently, a few of my chapters had not unloaded properly. If this is the first time you're reading this story, then don't worry about it. If it isn't, and a few things didn't make sense in any chapter that had a flashback, you might want to re-read them. The affected chapters were 6, 9 and 10. The flashback of Mukotsu in chapter 6, the flashback of Jakotsu in chapter 9, and the flashback of Renkotsu in chapter 10. What happened was, the first and last paragraphs of each flashback section, plus the italics, were somehow stripped out. I've gone and fixed it up, and I think it would be a good idea to just skim over them just so you get the full impact of what I was trying to get across. I'm really sorry about this, and I don't know how, but hopefully I'll be able to avoid it in the future._

_Also, I noticed that Story Alerts weren't up to par last week, and, I wanted to mention, since no Alert went out for this either, that I wrote a little one shot with Bankotsu and Jakotsu, that I really think you guys might be interested in, so if you have a chance, please check it out! It's called "The First One I Bring Back," and it's listed in my Stories Authored in my profile. Now, on with this story!_

Kagome was led through a thicket of old, gnarled trees and brush. When she and Bankotsu finally reached the clearing, a cave appeared. There was someone already there.

"Hah! Beat you guys to it! I knew I would!" Jakotsu announced happily. Kagome found herself smiling at seeing her "brother" once again. "So, did anything fun and exciting happen to you?"

"Nope, not a thing," Bankotsu answered, leaving out, of course, the "visits" from Mukotsu's specter. "How about you?"

"Nah, just had a pleasant stroll through the country, forests, mountains... Of course, once we have money, I could go back and start purchasing some necessities, like new clothes! I'm wearing some dead man's armor, and clothes stolen from his supply train, probably for some old lady! I mean, I may be sort of dead, but I don't have to look dead too! Speaking of which, I hope that we'll get the opportunity to fit Kagome with some new clothes. What she's wearing isn't fit for someone of her status."

"I agree completely! That clothing is far too revealing!" Bankotsu agreed.

Kagome drew in her breath. "What do you mean? These are my school clothes! When I go back to my time, I can't run around wearing a kimono! And what do you mean, 'my status?'" she protested. She was not about to let Bankotsu start telling her what to wear. Once a guy started telling a woman how to dress, it was a sign that he thought he owned her or something, she felt.

"I'm just trying to protect you, Kagome! That skirt shows way too much leg! I'm you're Big Brother, and trust me, I know how other men's dirty minds work!" he added innocently. Jakotsu rolled his very dark eyes and could barely keep from laughing. "What's so damned funny, brother?" Bankotsu frowned.

"Oh, yes, _you_ certainly know how dirty men's minds work, Big Brother!" Jakotsu laughed, giving Bankotsu's braid a tug. But then, Jakotsu noticed a look in Kagome's eye. It was very fleeting, but he'd caught it. "So! You little hussy! You've been at his braid, have you? Sure, sure, first it's the braid, then it's the armor. Soon, he'll let you touch Banryu, too..." Jakotsu hinted.

Bankotsu's murderous expression was somewhat nullified by the fact that his face was absolutely scarlet. _"Jakotsu!"_ he gasped, even though Kagome was almost on the verge of giggling. Yes, if ever she needed proof that Jakotsu was trying to set them up, there it was.

"You guys are so weird!" Kagome said simply, then heard a sharp whistle. She turned in that direction along with the other two, and saw Suikotsu emerge from the forest.

"Speaking of weird..." Banktosu joked as Suikotsu joined them.

"Am I early, or are Renkotsu and Ginkotsu late?" Suikotsu asked.

Kagome checked her watch. "We're a little early. I hope Ginkotsu's okay..." Kagome said. The three brothers seemed very surprised at her statement.

"Kagome? You worry about our well-being? But aren't we your enemies?" Suikotsu asked.

"I..." Kagome trailed off. "Hey! There they are!" For once, Kagome was relieved to see Renkotsu; his arrival had been just in time to avoid a very awkward conversation. In fact, she darted up that very path, past Renkotsu, in order to greet Ginkotsu.

"Um, hello to you too! I have something for you in your bag, little sister, when you have a chance to look..." Renkotsu said in a bit sharper tone than those words normally called for.

"Oh, sorry! Hi! Ginkotsu! I was just saying I was hoping you were okay!" Kagome said with a smile as she climbed onto his platform.

"Really? I...I'm fine, but I think I might be in trouble, too," Ginkotsu admitted, hanging his head down a bit.

"How come?" Kagome asked.

"Can I not tell you just yet? Are you still mad at Renkotsu?" he asked.

"I don't know...let's see what he's got for me in my bag, shall we?" Kagome said, rummaging through the oversized bookbag which in recent days has seen it's contents dwindle rather than refill. "Hey, I don't see anything!" Kagome reported in annoyance.

"Oh, he was writing in one of your books while we were riding. I hope you're not mad!" Ginkotsu reported. Kagome pulled out a few books, then asked, "Do you remember which one?"

"The blue one that sparkles," Ginkotsu answered. "He was writing with one of those wooden pens with the lead in them..."

"Aha! Yes, I see he sharpened my pencil with his dagger... Well, let's see what he had to say for himself... Oh my gosh! Ginkotsu! He's...he's made notes on the trigonometry!" In disbelief, Kagome looked over each page, filled front and back with equations, numbers and clearly written notes in tight even handwriting. The notes were written to explain each concept, so simply and (dare she say) eloquently that for the first time since she walked into the trig class last September, each idea began to fall into place. Almost like the most carefully laid set of dominos, each page swam into the next, clicking and forming into a cohesive picture that none of her teachers, no matter how brilliant they might have been, would ever be able to illustrate. With growing excitement bubbling into her chest, Kagome turned to the very last page, and saw that one last equation, and knew that he'd read the entire book and had made notes on everything, even the stuff she hadn't even looked at yet in class.

Kagome had hope in her heart that she might actually pass ninth grade now.

Meanwhile, at the cave, a discovery was made. "Uh, guys, we've got a few dead bodies in here," Jakotsu reported.

"A few? It's been ten years since we've been to this cave. We always find one or two in there when we've left it a long time, but we'd never left it for this long, obviously. So, how many is it really?" Bankotsu asked.

"Well, let's put it this way. You don't want Kagome to see it..." Jakotsu said as he emerged from the cave with a few shovels in hand. They were kept in the cave for just such a purpose. "There's a few kids in there too. Probably hadn't heard to stay far away from here."

"Fine, we'll bury them while you go and distract Kagome. Make sure she doesn't come down here until we give the word. She already thinks badly enough of us; if she hears that the curse on this cave that protects our money also kills people who are foolish enough or greedy enough to steal from us, who knows what she'd think," Bankotsu said.

"Are we trying to convince her that we're not murderous evil people?" Renkotsu asked with amusement as he took a shovel. "Seems like I've been doing an awful lot of this lately."

"Well, you wanted to set a trap for Inuyasha. It worked pretty well, too, right? So, be glad that you've got some others to help you this time," Bankotsu frowned, unamused. "Now, the sooner we get this grim task done, the sooner we can get our money and get out of here. I wish though that we had someone to say some prayers over the graves...I'm starting to become very wary of leaving graves with souls trapped inside a state of unrest."

"Bankotsu, let's not stray into a realm you know nothing about," Renkotsu sighed in a slightly condescending tone. And with that, Renkotsu, Suikotsu and Bankotsu buried the bodies in one large hole in the ground.

Kagome thought it was strange how dirty the three brothers appeared a little later. She was about to ask them if they hadn't actually run out of room for all the bodies, but she kept the comments to herself. She wouldn't let Bankotsu know that she'd seen through his ploy to keep the truth from her. Maybe she was becoming the keeper of his truths... "Okay, we're all set," he said, "Let's go in and see if our money's still in there."

Kagome accompanied Bankotsu, and tried not to notice the mound of dirt off in the woods to her left. As everyone entered the cave, she saw several different color lights coming from deeper inside. The path widened, and soon, she could see the different lights, and what they were surrounding. To her, it was like that scene in the first Harry Potter movie, when he was taken to the wizard bank to get some money, and Harry saw those huge piles of gold coins in the vault. She couldn't keep her gasp held in.

When Jakotsu had said they were rich, he wasn't kidding!

Renkotsu went to a pile of gold and other various items like books and scrolls surrounded by blue light. "Ah! My toys are still here!" Happily, he pulled a weapon from the pile, something that looked very much like a primitive bazooka. _Great, he's got his toys again,_ Kagome thought grimly.

Suikotsu took some of his gold from his green lit stash and put it in a small leather pouch. He gave this to Kagome. "I hope that this will be enough to purchase my surgical instruments, little sister."

"Oh! I'm sure it will be," Kagome said, all the while thinking, _How am I going to be able to use this to pay for anything?_

"Yeah, I'm going to need to give you even more, aren't I? How much does a Paris Hilton Heiress cost?" Jakotsu babbled as he gave Kagome an even bigger sack of gold from a yellow illuminated pile. Kagome nearly groaned.

"Oh, did you find what I left you?" Renkotsu asked hopefully.

"You mean those trig notes? Yes, I did find them. Uh, did you want anything from my era?" Kagome felt she had to ask.

"Oh, YES! Uh, I mean, I'd really appreciate it if you bought me a few of those wirebound books. Do they all come that sparkly?" he asked dubiously.

"Oh, you love sparkly!" Jakotsu laughed.

"Jakotsu, just shut the fuck up!" Renkotsu growled.

"Oh, um, yeah, I mean, no, NO! Uh, I can get you something really plain, how about black and white?" Kagome suggested quickly, to keep Renkotsu from literally flaring up.

"Thank you. I'm sure such things are very costly. Here, this should cover it," he said, handing her an even larger purse than either Suikotsu or Jakotsu had.

"Wait! You mean your books would cost more than my surgical tools? I can't imagine that! I think you might need more money then, Kagome!" he said, piling more money into Kagome's hands.

Before this got out of control, Bankotsu said, "Brothers! We have some business here to attend to. Look," he said, pointing to a pile of gold draped in aqua light and a pile in red light. "Kyukotsu and Mukotsu are no more. Who here remembers the rule about the money?"

"Ooh, I do, I do! If he has no heirs, then the money gets split among the other brothers," Jakotsu reminded them.

"Yes, that's right," Bankotsu answered and, with a grim sigh, he pointed Banryu at the aqua light, and it dissolved. "Farewell, Kyukotsu." The money was then split among the other six heaps of money.

"Um, Big Brother, you just put money into Mukotsu's pile too," Renkotsu said.

"Yeah, and your point?" Bankotsu snapped.

"Um...no point..I guess. Just seems odd," Renkotsu shrugged. "Seeing as how he's dead too, that's all."

Bankotsu narrowed his eyes, but said nothing more to Renkotsu. "Kagome? Come over here for a minute." Kagome silently approached him, and said nothing, because his tone was strange. "Seeing as how you are Mukotsu's widow, what was once his is now yours."

Kagome took a good look at all that gold protected by the red light, and then processed the words Bankotsu had just said. Then, she fainted.


	12. Reunion

Little Sister

Chapter 12: Reunion

Renkotsu looked up from his bazooka, gave Bankotsu a glare after seeing Kagome's limp form in his arms. "Wow. Didn't you have enough for her to eat? Or, did you just wear her out?"

Jakotsu had to drop his coin purse to catch Kagome, because very quickly, Bankotsu went for Renkotsu's throat. Heedless of the large gun Renkotsu was holding, Bankotsu snatched his brother's neck and tightly pulled his face to him. _"I did not wear her out, asshole! You didn't get any of her, get over it!"_

"I'm sorry, Big Brother, my mistake! Please let go of my neck!" Renkotsu gasped. In disgust, Bankotsu tossed Renkotsu back, making him fall into his own pile of gold. Ignoring Renkotsu, Bankotsu took Kagome from Jakotsu's arms and settled her very gently down onto his own lap.

For a few moments, the cave was completely silent, aside from Renkotsu trying to regain his footing among his coins. Bankotsu only saw Kagome's unconscious face and only heard her soft breath. He traced her cheek with his fingers very softly. Nothing mattered, not Naraku, not Inuyasha, not even his other brothers. _What is there to worry about anymore, if I have Kagome in my arms?_ He needed everyone to just back off and leave him alone. Even Jakotsu, though he seems to mean well, is just getting in the way, Bankotsu thought resentfully.

"Boy have you got it bad!" Suikotsu breathed.

"So, when did this disaster happen?" Renkotsu asked crisply.

"Disaster? It's not a disaster!" Jakotsu asked in confusion.

"Yes, disaster! She's supposed to be one of our number one enemies, right? Tops on Naraku's 'to kill list,' remember? Well okay, we're not killing her, but do we have to flaunt it in Naraku's face? Let alone how Inuyasha's probably going to react!"

"Gessh, you guys can be so insensitive!" Ginkotsu suddenly grumbled. In confusion, the three brothers huddled around Bankotsu turned their bewildered faces to him. "He feels responsible for her! Mukotsu married her against her will, don't you get it? Big Brother wants to help her!"

"Ooh!" they all three said at once.

"Yeah, suddenly, I got a very unpleasant visual in my head," Renkotsu winced.

"How do you know it was against her will?" Suikotsu asked.

"Oh, please! What do you think I'm having such an unpleasant visual of? Mukotsu and Kagome as a _happy couple!"_ Renkotsu snapped.

"Alright, Renkotsu, that's enough!" Bankotsu snarled. Sometimes, all of his brothers just got on his nerves. Now, that was the visual he had in his head. Bankotsu grit his teeth and answered back, "Renkotsu, you don't know what you're talking about!"

"It seems rather strange that he would marry a young girl he didn't know, don't you think? How do we know she even _did_ marry him?" Renkotsu pushed on.

"She wouldn't have lied about it!" Ginkotsu rolled a bit further into the cave. "I was there when she told Bankotsu about it! I believe her!"

"Yes, but why do you believe her?"

"Why would she lie?" Ginkotsu countered.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because she found out that he had money, and since he was now dead, she figured she could make a claim," Renkotsu answered sarcastically. "I wonder which numbskull over here told her that we had money hidden away?" Renkotsu's eyes narrowed on Jakotsu, who bit his lower lip. "Guess in all that discussion about perfumes, you let it slip, eh?"

Jakotsu's dark eyes narrowed and his hands formed fists. Bankotsu yelled, "Stop it, now! Stand down, Jakotsu!" Reluctantly, Jakotsu's hands loosened. "This is a pointless discussion, Renkotsu. I believe her!" He bolstered Kagome up so that she was cradled in his arms. _Yes, I beleive her, I trust her, I love her!_

But Renkotsu was not done, unfortunately. "Um, it's obvious that you're not thinking with your brains right now, Bankotsu, so let someone who is do the thinking for us all!"

Bankotsu was about to fly into a rage, but instead, he took two deep breaths, then said, "You know, Renkotsu, I don't only keep _your_ secrets."

Renkotsu suddenly looked very ill. "B..Big Brother? Wh..what are you talking about?" he asked in a frightened stammer. The others all looked very uncomfortable as well (except perhaps Suikotsu, whose secrets were unknown even to himself, or at least, one of his selves. But that issue was for another time).

"It's very simple, Renkotsu," Bankotsu answered in a quiet, deadly voice. "If I am to be Mukotsu's secret keeper even after his death, then I can't explain to you all why I believe Kagome's story. Or, maybe if you prefer, we can start talking about everyone's issues they'd not been willing to share with the others in the past, just so I don't feel as though I'm only betraying Mukotsu? In fact, we can start with yours..."

Renkotsu in particular started to slightly panic. "No, you're right, Big Brother. I was foolish not to trust your judgement in this matter."

Bankotsu did not answer Renkotsu at first. Instead, he embraced Kagome and told them, "Without telling you all too much information, let's just say that to try and wed himself to a young, innocent, beautiful girl was Mukotsu's ultimate goal in life. And, he would have wanted us to take care of her if he was gone."

Slowly, Kagome began to awaken. She was aware that she was in someone's strong arms, and it felt really wonderful, as though nothing in this world could ever hurt her because she was embraced by such strength. But they weren't Inuyasha's? She opened her eyes, and saw the leader of the Band of Seven over her, looking down into her eyes with his deep blue ones. "Kagome? Are you alright? I hope you didn't get too much of a shock," Bankotsu asked with a smile. _Oh, why do some of these bad guys have to be so beautiful?_ she lamented silently. It was always so much easier to despise someone ugly, like Mistress Centipede or many of the thousands of demons she'd seen in her months of adventures in the Feudal Era.

She heard Renkotsu say, "Well it seems like he _did_ take care of her, didn't he?"

_Ohmigosh, that pile of money!_ Kagome looked at the red-lit golden heaps of coins, along with Mukotsu's other treasures. Guns, bamboo containers, and a very prominent box, large enough to store valuables inside. But here was the weird thing; Kagome thought she could see his squat form seated right on top of the trunk. He was glaring straight at Kagome in Bankotsu's arms. Without thinking, Kagome's grip tightened on Bankotsu's arm, and in response, he dipped his head lower and whispered in her ear, "You see him too, don't you?" She squeaked in terror, which the others began to notice.

"Now what the hell's wrong?" Renkotsu asked a bit irritably. Seeing Banktosu acting like a soft-hearted swooning fool was doing nothing to improve his mood.

"Mukotsu's spirit is not at rest. None of us, I fear, had been buried properly. And then, for him to die a second time, without a proper burial again..." Bankotsu trailed off.

"Well, you don't expect me to do any last rites, do you? I left the order long before I ever met you, and I suspect my soul is far too impure to even make a mocking attempt," Renkotsu scoffed. "All of religion, to me, is superstitious nonsense."

Suddenly, Ginkotsu interrupted. "Renkotsu, I hear something outside."

Renkotsu picked up a bow and quiver of arrows, far bigger than Kagome's and therefore most likely far more difficult to draw. He glanced at her, however, with a mocking grin. "I think Kagome should see this." He patted Ginkotsu's platform, and Bankotsu carried her to them and set her down gently next to Renkotsu's feet. The other brothers also made off, quietly withdrawing from the cave.

When Ginkotsu rolled outside, Renkotsu swiftly found his target and swept the bow and knocked the arrow and released, all within two seconds. The arrow hit a target that Kagome couldn't quite see, but she thought she heard a male voice exclaim in surprise. She knew that voice, and stood up very quickly. Now, she could see what Renkotsu had done, as Miroku tried to pry his staff from where it was pinned to a tree trunk.

Kagome had to blink, just to make sure she'd seen it right. The arrow had shot through one of the two sections where rings swung from the top of the staff! "So, how was that, Ginkotsu?" Renkotsu asked.

"Eh, not bad," Ginkotsu answered.

Kagome gogged, then felt a bit of resentment roiling in her as Renkotsu sighed, "Yeah, I know, I'm a little rusty. Oh, Kagome, is something the matter?"

Kagome let it pass. There were suddenly more important things on her mind than her markmanship. Shippo had emerged with Sango and Kirara. _"Kagome!"_ Shippo squealed as he launched himself into her arms. Renkotsu watched carefully as Kagome caught him.

Jakotsu and Suikotsu watched just as carefully as Sango landed and leaped from Kirara's back. The giant cat growled as she watched her mistress run past Suikotsu to Ginkotsu's platform. "Kagome, are you alright?" she gasped.

Oh, she's quite alright," Renkotsu answered in an unpleasant voice. Sango eyed him warily.

"Why aren't you guys fighting us?" Sango asked in confusion.

"A very good question, my dear. Perhaps our big brother could answer that for you," Renkotsu answered cryptically, then glanced in his direction. Sango turned around and saw Bankotsu following Miroku with Banryu pointed right at him.

"Big Brother, please don't hurt him!" Kagome gasped when she saw them come into the clearing.

"Oh, I'm just making sure he doesn't try anything stupid until we've explained things to him, Little Sister," Bankotsu assured her.

_"Little Sister?_ Why is he calling you that? What's he talking about?" Sango asked as she sat next to her friend.

_Oh, how am I ever going to explain all this?_ Kagome thought with growing panic and confusion.

* * *

This chapter got so long that I had to split it in half!


	13. Kagome's Private Battle

Little Sister

Chapter 13: Kagome's Private Battle

Kagome stared at her best friend with her mouth agape. "Um," she finally began, "it's a long story, but..." she glanced up at Renkotsu and Ginkotsu, who were watching her with interest. "Maybe you ought to explain it then!" she snapped.

"We've adopted her," Ginkotsu answered really simply.

"Why?" Sango gasped.

"Because we need to take care of her and protect her," Ginkotsu answered just as simply. Sango stared up at Ginkotsu's face, whatever was left of him fused into some sort of killing machine. Finally, the demon slayer stood up and looked into Ginkotsu's one good eye. "Well, it certainly seems like you've got what it takes to protect her!" Ginkotsu beamed.

Miroku made it down into the clearing with Banktosu covering him. "I'd love to know what's going on! Why are you people so far south, so far from Naraku? Weren't you brought back from the dead so you could protect him?" Miroku queried. Whenever there was questions to be asked, it always had seemed that he was the one to ask them. Maybe it was beacuase he was a monk.

"You know what? We don't need to be up on Mt. Hakurei to protect him. He's more than capable of taking care of himself," Bankotsu snapped. "We're taking Kagome back to a village where she can return to her home, in her own time. You must know of it."

"Yes, she has a Trigonometry test," Renkotsu reminded them all.

"And, she's got some stuff she needs to bring back for us, too!" Jakotsu added.

Sango, Miroku and Shippo were speechless. Eventually Shippo asked, "Are you switching sides?"

"It would certainly appear that way," Renkotsu answered, with Bankotsu, Suikotsu and Jakotsu all nodding in agreement, with Ginkotsu adding his "Gessh" as well.

"Well, we can't say you're not making the right decision!" Miroku remarked.

"Wait a minute! How are we supposed to trust you people? Aren't you all supposed to be under Naraku's power? You all still have jewel shards in you, right?" Sango asked angrily.

"It's true that Naraku tries to turn our jewel shards black from time to time, according to Kagome. Our little sister has been very helpful keeping them pure. That was why we really left the north, so we could escape his influence. Once we're even further south, we hope we'll be able to keep ourselves out of Naraku's grasp once she goes back to her time," Bankotsu explained.

"You mean you're not under Naraku's power constantly? You're not under some sort of spell?" Sango demanded.

"Nope, Naraku gave us orders to kill all of you on sight, but, actually, we're the deciders," Jakotsu shrugged. "Yeah, can't blame Naraku totally for our bad behavior!" he winked.

"Sango, you're thinking of Kohaku, aren't you?" Miroku asked.

"Kohaku? You know him?" Jakotsu and Bankotsu asked at the same time.

"Of course I do! He's my younger brother! Have you seen him lately? Is he well?" Sango asked in desperation.

"We saw him what, four, five days ago? Yes, he's just fine. He was with Kanna, that albino child," Bankotsu reported. When Sango visibly appeared relieved, he asked, "I've been meaning to ask, what exactly do you and Kohaku do? You both seem to be dressed, and trained, as ninja."

"Oh, no, we're not ninja, we're demon slayers!" Sango answered, even more puzzled.

"Oh!" Bankotsu and Jakotsu responded in unison. "He didn't even know what he used to do before he was put under Naraku's control. All he knew was that he wasn't a ninja," Jakotsu added as an explanation. "What's all this about? Kohaku's got ver little to do with us, besides the fact that we're all supposed to working for Naraku."

"Did you know that Kohaku has a jewel shard embedded in him, just like you do? We all assumed that he is under a spell of Naraku because of the Shikon jewel shard," Miroku told them.

"Kohaku can't remember anything about his former life! Why can you people remember, while he can't?" Sango finally asked in anguish.

"Because he's just a _child!_ We're grown men, and we've always answered to no one except perhaps Big Brother! Naraku gave us jewel shards to resurrect us, but he can only control us a bit, maybe. Kohaku is too young and too close to Naraku to be able to go against him," Jakotsu explained. "Why did Naraku put a jewel shard into Kohaku anyway?"

"If he doesn't have that jewel shard in his back, he'll die!" Sango cried.

"This is starting to sound sickeningly familiar..." Bankotsu stated grimly.

Jakotsu sat next to Sango and said, "We're going to try and get rid of the jewel shards; we don't like being slaves to some demon who's pulling our strings from some unknown location. You know, if we're successful, if we can stay alive without the jewel shards, I bet Kohaku would be able to live without his, too! I'll bet he's a really nice kid when he's not under Naraku's control, isn't he? For a kid, I didn't think he was a bad sort, actually."

"Yes, you did seem rather _friendly_ with him, come to think of it," Renkotsu mused. "I wonder why that is? Just how _friendly_ was he with you, Jakotsu?"

Bankotsu seethed loudly. Sango and Kagome looked horrified. And Jakotsu, well, Jakotsu was just furious! His fists were so tight that his entire arms shivered with rage, and his face was nearly as purple as a plum. "How...dare...you?" Jakotsu growled in his deep feminine voice.

"Oh, please, Jakotsu! _Everybody_ knows about the tastes of people with your...perversion," Renkotsu sniffed. "A young boy like this Kohaku would surely fit the bill, wouldn't he?"

It took all of Bankotsu's strength to keep Jakotsu from climbing back onto Ginkotsu's platform and scratching out Renkotsu's scornful dark eyes. _"You son of a whoring bitch!"_ Jakotsu hissed.

"Jakotsu! Stop this! He's trying to cause trouble! Don't fall for it!" Bankotsu tried to reason with him even as he pinned Jakotsu's arms behind his back, which wasn't that easy, since Jakotsu was nearly a head taller that Bankotsu was.

"Since when have you _ever_ seen me with a child?" Jakotsu demanded. "When was the last time?"

Renkotsu shrugged. "I admit, I've never seen it with my eyes, true. But I don't follow you around all the time, either."

Jakotsu screamed wordlessly as Bankotsu clung onto him. "I may be a lot of things, especially a murderous bastard! But there's one thing I'm not, and that's a _pedophile!"_

Shippo shivered and looked up to Kagome. "Oh, Kagome, these people are scary! Aren't you afraid?"

"Shh, it'll be okay, Bankotsu will take care of everything!" Kagome reassured the frightened fox child, even as she glared at Jakotsu. Damn that Renkotsu! Why did he have to start this now?

"Renkotsu, you know damned well that Jakotsu never laid a finger on that boy! Stop causing trouble! And Jakotsu, I know you're angry but you've got to calm down!" Bankotsu demanded. He turned his attention to Sango, who was a mess by now. "I think Renkotsu is simply attempting to prevent us from allying ourselves with people who might help us get rid of these jewel shards. He's scared that he won't survive it," Bankotsu further explained with vast anger in his voice.

"You need not worry, demon slayer, about your brother's welfare. For the time being, he is well, but as long as he's Naraku's servant, we can't be certain that he'll stay that way. But I know Jakotsu hasn't harmed him. I'm a doctor, and after a while, doctors get a certain...instinct...somehow knowing someone had been hurt, even if he hasn't said anything. There are symptoms and signs. Your brother, I'm glad to tell you, hasn't displayed any of these symptoms, if you understand my meaning?" Suikotsu added.

Kagome patted Sango's hand as she began crying. "Oh, Sango, I'm sure Kohaku wasn't hurt by these people. Naraku is the one I'd be much more worried about!" she assured her. Bankotsu let Jakotsu go. Suikotsu glanced at Jakotsu, then at Renkotsu, then receded to where he'd been standing.

Warily, Sango wiped her eyes and then faced Suikotsu, who had been the most reassuring brother, most likely. "Do you really think you'll be able to free yourselves? Do you really think Kohaku will ever be free too?" Sango asked him through her tears.

"If he hasn't actually died, then he has an even better chance than we do," Suikotsu surmised. "If only..."

"If only you could do what you used to be able to do before we were executed? Indeed, if only..." Bankotsu sighed. "Lord Monk, we have need of your services. In that clearing, we have some graves, and I feel some words need to be said over them. I know Renkotsu's thoughts on the matter, but I still don't feel right about leaving them in the unsancitfied state they're in. I wonder if Naraku would have been able to break into our grave and retrieve our souls so easily if our souls had been at rest. I admit, I never used to care about it before. Maybe I should have."

"Yes, perhaps you should have. And perhaps the villagers who had buried you all in the first place should have been more cautious as well," Miroku agreed.

"Maybe we ought to also have a few words said for our fallen as well," Suikotsu suggested. "Although, I'm not so sure about this monk..."

In spite of her grief, Sango began to giggle. Miroku turned to her in shock. "Sango! Surely you believe that my spritual powers have not been comprimised by my admitted excesses?"

Now Kagome and Sango were both laughing outright. "Suikotsu, how did you know? I never said anything?" Kagome laughed.

"I can tell the look of someone who most likely could out-drink Bankotsu," Suikostu smirked.

"Not likely!" Bankotsu scoffed.

"Well, it's just that Master Mushin taught me well, that's all!" Miroku explained as color filled his face. Now, Renkotsu began laughing.

"Actually, maybe he _is_ fit to save our souls, Big Brother! We need someone who is really not all that purified himself if he is to guide us," Renkotsu joked. The rest of the Band, even Jakotsu, found themselves in laughter as well.

"Well, Miroku, it looks like you've got a new full-time job! You're going to take care of their souls," Kagome declared.

"Hah! You all think I'm joking! But I'm not! Lord Monk, this way, if you please..." Bankotsu said, half-dragging Miroku to the clearing. Everyone slowly follwed them.

"I see...very well. I shall light some incense," Miroku sighed. He had to admit, he didn't think the confrontation with the Band would turn out quite like this...

They all quietly listened to Miroku's service. Bankotsu in particular seemed to more at peace already. Kagome eyed him, thinking she'd never expected that of him, that he'd be so worried about his soul. After all, he had died once, right? What sort of afterlife had he experienced before getting taken back to this life?

Kagome also caught a glimpse of Mukotsu again. She gulped and stopped staring at Bankotsu. Why did one brother seem to appear every time she started staring at the other brother? Was he possible trying to keep them apart? But how could they be kept apart if they weren't together in the first place? Maybe it was just jealously on his part. Or guilt on her part, which seemed the most stupid thing, because Kagome didn't have anything to be guilty of!

So, instead of watching out for her dead "husband's" foul face, she deliberately stared right at Bankotsu. She gasped, she thought he had been only paying attention to Miroku, but now, his deep blue eyes were on her! A jolt went through her. Sango had described a jolt like this, one that she'd felt once, when Miroku was looking at her a certain way. At the time, Kagome hadn't really understood what Sango was telling her. Suddenly, it became very clear. The jolt had made her heart begin to race, and her insides get very warm and odd-feeling.

But...but...what about Inuyasha? She tried vainly to recall if she'd ever felt "the Jolt" while looking at him. _Oh, damn, how can I think of those amber eyes when I've got these midnight ones staring at me?_ Something was moving just in the corner of her eye. Kagome turned to see it. It was that dratted spirit of Mukotsu again! He was shaking his head, not saying anything, but his beady brown eyes said it all. _You damned little trollop!_

Kagome wanted to scream, but how could she do that during a religious service? Her eyes darted around to everyone else. They all seemed quite at peace, except for Bankotsu. _Oh, that's right. He can see Mukotsu too!_ His eyes were cast away from her, guilt plainly showing in that lovely face.

Kagome swallowed. She, Kagome Higurashi, had nothing to feel ashamed of! Mukotsu's "marriage" was a pathetic sham! It's not her fault if these semi-mad (yet loveable in a weird way) brothers of hers considered her his wife! She was going to have to fight that spectre now, if she wanted peace. If she wanted to be with Inuyasha...

Or Bankotsu...

_Next chapter, Naraku is going to strike back in a most unexpected and insidious manner! So, stay tuned!_


	14. Kagome's Next Private Battle

_NOTE: I'd like to take this moment to thank everyone of you who has left a review, or has put this story on your Alerts list, or even better, your Favorites list. I've gotten the best response from readers for this story than any of my others. It's hard to beleive that I've only gotten into Inuyasha around the beginning of this year! The time travel theme got me hooked, but I wasn't a hopeless case until I was introduced to the Band of Seven. Now, much to the agitation of my Star Wars and Harry Potter story fans, I've pretty much abandoned those stories until I get my Inuyasha story done. Believe it or not, this story wasn't originally concieved as a Bankotsu/Kagome romance! But my feedback from readers was overwhelming: she's got to somehow end up with the mercenary! But what about Inuyasha, Koga, or Hojo? Don't worry, my dears. At least one of them is getting a life, very soon... Which one, and with who? Heh, heh, just keep reading..._

Little Sister

Chapter 14: Kagome's Next Private Battle

Bankotsu still didn't trust that Inuyasha would be easily convinced of the Band's more noble intentions, so he instructed his other four brothers to travel to the village separated from him. Miroku and Sango and Shippo were to remain with them. Especially Miroku seeing as how he was their exclusive monk. Of course, he didn't recall exactly agreeing to this arrangement...

"I told you I wasn't kidding! Lord Monk, you are to stay with the Band!" Bankotsu pronounced.

"Psst, Miroku, there's something you need to see," Kagome said in a loud, meant-to-be-overheard whisper. She giggled and led him to the cave's entrance. "If you look really carefully, you might be able to see it..."

Miroku took a deep breath. "Oh, my, is that money?" he asked weakly.

Sango joined Miroku, and Jakotsu crept closer as well. The mercenary answered from behind them, "Yes, it's...what do you people say in modern times, Kags? Kah-king?" Jakotsu asked.

_"Cha-ching!"_ Kagome reminded him merrily.

"Oh, yes, _cha-ching!_ I like _cha-ching,"_ Miroku said a bit dreamily.

Jakotsu took Sango's hand with one, and winked as he held a finger to his lips with the other, telling her to be quiet. Reaching behind Miroku, Jakotsu took Sango's hand and planted it on Miroku's behind. The monk's lips formed a sly grin, and he glanced at Sango. She grinned as Jakotsu let her hand go, and his took her place...

"Hmmm, feels like you like _cha-ching_ as much as I do..." Miroku purred, taking Sango's hands into his. Both hands... He glanced down, not comprehending at first how Sango might have grown a third hand that was still grabbing his butt while he was holding her other two. Then, he figured it out. He turned slowly to his right, where Jakotsu gazed at him with dreamy black eyes. "What are you doing?" he asked Jakotsu slowly as though if he spoke fast, Jakotsu might use as an excuse that he never heard him.

Jakotsu removed his hand, then clasped them both in mock despair. "Oh, Lord Monk, I'm so unholy! Won't you guide me?"

Miroku pursed his lips, and Sango giggled. "Gee, Miroku, maybe you should treat him to your usual pick-up line. Just so he doesn't feel left out," Sango suggested.

Miroku suddenly grinned, then took Jakotsu's hands in his and asked the pretty man, "Would you like to bear my child?"

Laughter erupted from different directions, but the loudest was from Renkotsu. "Yes, I think I'm going to like this man very much," he managed to say between hysterics. Jakotsu pouted, and removed his hands from Miroku's grip.

"As if you could afford to be a parent! You're a monk; you don't have a pot to piss in!" Jakotsu sniffed.

Miroku eyed the cave again, and corrected Jakotsu, "That will soon change."

Jakotsu turned to Bankotsu, who embraced him in his sorrow. "Oh, Big Brother, when will I ever find him?"

"It's going to be soon, Jakotsu, I just know it!" Bankotsu assured him. "Now, Kagome and I need to leave. You'll need to say your farewells now, Little Sister," he told her.

Kagome hugged Sango and said, "I know Kohaku will come back to you someday, Sango. But until then, we've got to keep strong, right?"

"Right, Kagome! We'll take care of your brothers for you while you're gone, okay?" Sango responded lightly.

"Yep, we'll keep them in line! My Crying Mushrooms will take care of that Jakotsu, just like last time!" Shippo promised her as he dashed into her arms one last time for a big hug.

"Don't worry Kagome, I won't let them do anything I wouldn't do myself," Miroku assured her.

The other four brothers smiled widely at that comment, and Kagome shook her head. "I'll be back in a few days, okay? You all do what Miroku tells you!" she called to them as she heaved her very heavy backpack onto her shoulders.

"We will!" they all answered, and then, Bankotsu led Kagome away.

On the road, Kagome found herself lagging behind. At first, Bankotsu tried to moderate his own speed so she didn't get left behind, but after a while, she just wasn't keeping up, no matter how slow he walked. "Hey, are you gonna just keep dragging your feet? I thought you said that Renkotsu's notes for your math test were going to help you!"

"It's not that I don't want to go back to take the test. I have to make it for this test, it's a matter of life or death, or at least, making it out of ninth grade. I don't think I could stand wearing this uniform one more year!" Kagome puffed. "No, I just am carrying my heavy bag, and all you're carrying is that...thing!"

"Banryu is a very heavy burden, Little Sister. When I reclaimed my baby from those who held her captive all those years I laid in a grave, I'd heard that three strong men had to carry her, because she's so heavy!" Bankotsu bragged.

"Oh, yeah? I bet it's not as heavy as this bag!" Kagome snorted.

Bankotsu stopped walking, and put Banryu on the dirt road. "Fine, I want you to try and lift this thing! I'm sure you'll agree your bag is managable compared to my baby!"

Kagome dropped the bag down, and it _clinked_ with gold pieces filling every space between the books. She went to Banryu and picked her up with one hand. Kagome plunked Banryu on her shoulder, just like Bankotsu always does, and ordered him, "Now, take my bag and let's get moving! I've got the rest of today to make it to Kaede's village!"

"H...H...How?" was all Bankotsu could manage to get out of his mouth. He dropped to his knees and bowed his head to the ground.

"Ohmygosh, you're on the floor and you haven't even picked up my bag yet!" Kagome sighed. Just after she said that, she thought she heard laughter. Feminine laughter, which seemed almost metallic, in a similar manner that Ginkotsu's voice made. To Kagome, it seemed to be coming from the right, which was the shoulder she had Banryu on. She shifted the halberd so she could see past the great weapon, but she couldn't see anything.

"You must be a far greater priestess than I've ever heard of! I'd always thought no one could carry Banryu except me," Bankotsu stammered. Again, the tinkling laughter, but this time, it almost seemed as though Bankotsu could hear her too.

Kagome saw that Bankotsu was still bowing before her, so she took Banryu and made like she was knighting him. "I now call you Sir Bankotsu, my Knight in Shining Armor, and you must now carry my bookbag filled with my modern and Fuedal treasures!" she told him.

"As you wish, my lady Kagome," he responded, playing along with the joke. The laughter was infectious, and now, there was no doubt that both could hear it, but as each noticed the other looking around, each could see that she was not visible. "We'd better get going. I think we might have disturbed some forest spirit or something..." Bankotsu guessed.

But as Bankotsu heaved her backpack onto his strong shoulders, Kagome thought that a forest spirit wasn't the explanation for the laughter. Well, only time would tell, and really she ought to be getting use to the random weirdness by now. Besides, there were a million and one things that she wanted to talk to Bankotsu about before she got to the well. The first burning question was, "Hey, Big Brother, you keep talking about these powers that you and the other brothers lost. What powers were they, and how come you don't have them anymore?"

Bankotsu looked a bit grim. "We all had some powers bestown upon us as a payment for helping a demon empress who was being held captive in her palace."

"A demon empress? Hmm...like Sesshomaru is supposed to be the Prince of the Western Lands, right?" Kagome asked.

"Oh, great! Sesshomaru is a demon prince? Naraku doesn't ask much, does he?" Bankotsu growled irritably. "Hey, he's not your ally too is he?"

"Uh, I don't know, really. He hates Naraku, _really_ hates Naraku. But he doesn't like Inuyasha at all either," Kagome admitted.

"Well, of course he doesn't. I take it Inuyasha's the bastard of the family, like I was... Sesshomaru is like Yoshinki, my...sub-species, creature that sprung from a crone witch's twat...Uh, sorry, shouldn't've said that word I guess," Bankotsu trailed off.

"You know, that reminds me, you guys are going to have to start watching your mouths around Shippo! That whole episode with accusing Jakotsu of molesting Kohaku hopefully was still just a little over Shippo's head. He's only eight, you know!" Kagome reprimanded Bankotsu.

"Hey, I didn't do it, that was Renkotsu! Besides, that _was_ tame! You ought to hear Jakotsu when he really gets going! He can make me blush," Bankotsu joked.

"Oh, that's really reassuring, Big Brother! Or should I start calling you Big _Bother!"_ Kagome growled.

"Hey, Little Sister, that's mean! I'm trying to do good, really!" Again, that feminine laughter rang out in the air. "Why do you think I left Miroku with my brothers anyway? Kagome, this is probably the most important decision I've every had to make as their leader. All these years, we've served to destroy. Now, we have to attempt to create new lives for ourselves. It wouldn't be easy even if we didn't have the jewel shards to worry about! But with them keeping us alive, it makes it even more difficult. You know, Renkotsu told me, while we were burying those people who got trapped in the cave (yeah, I know you knew about it) that Ginkotsu asked him to take his jewel shard out?"

Kagome gasped. "Oh no! But Ginkotsu would die without it! What was he thinking?" She suddenly grew very sad.

"That it would be preferable to the existence he has now. If I could only find a way to live without the jewel shards, but what about Ginkotsu? Maybe that's why Renkotsu's also very hesitant to give them up. Ginkotsu would have no means to exist at all."

Kagome suddenly wanted very much to try and comfort Bankotsu. She had a glimpse, at that moment, of the enormous burden he carried, not on his shoulder, but in his heart. Because, he _did_ have a heart, amazing but true. But Big Brother simply kept walking, not saying anything else, which signalled that the converastion was at an end.

Familiar terrain finally came into view. The late afternoon sun was only about an hour from setting. Kagome could see the fields and in the distance, the gate to Kikyo's Shrine. Bankotsu finally spoke. "What a nice place this is! But you know, there's something familiar about this place too. I think we might have been here once before."

"Really? Kaede has never told me that there were any battles fought here!" Kagome said.

"No, we hadn't fought a battle here. I think we might have been passing through, although, there's a shrine over there. Yeah, maybe we stopped here because I wanted Suikotsu's crystal purified. Let me tell you something. Suikotsu's a damned good fighter, but he is high maintenance!"

"He's lucky he's got a good big brother like you!" Kagome smiled.

Bankotsu looked a bit sad as he said, "We'd better swap now." He took Kagome's backpack off his shoulders. She put Banryu down. For one moment, neither of them were burdened. Kagome apporached Bankotsu, then drew him into a hug. "Thank you," she said to him as he drew her far closer into his arms.

Bankotsu only answered with a shuddering sigh. Kagome clung to him; those jolts were coming far more frequently and more fiercely than before. Once his lips melted into hers, it seemed like that was the only thing that was appropriate to do, the only thing he possibly could do. And then, when he slipped his tongue into her mouth and pressed her even closer to him, Kagome thought she'd get electrocuted.

His hands were starting to travel around her back, then slipping up under her blouse to her bra, which, of course, he wasn't all that familiar with, so it made him take a brief second to think. "Kagome, help me," he said very thickly.

Should she help him unhook the bra? She really, _really_ wanted to! "What do you want me to do?" she finally asked breathlessly.

"Stop me, please! I can't stop, help me..." Bankotsu whispered as if he was in a trance. He was now trying to tear the front of her sailor-suit uniform instead of pulling it over her head. Kagome managed to draw back just enough to see his face. He was flushed, and his eyes had lost focus. She looked down to his neck.

"Your jewel shards! Bankotsu, they're black!" Kagome cried.

"Help me! Please stop me," he groaned. Her blouse ripped into two clean halves, and his lips found her cleavage. Kagome wanted to cry. How could she still want to be with him if his jewel shards were black, and he was begging for help to stop himself? He pulled her down to the earth and pressed on top of her.

What to do, what to do? Kagome felt those hands of his, very fast hands, pulling her panties off her hips from under her skirt. Okay, she had to stop him now; this was much too fast for her! Concentrating as best as she could, she focused her purifying power into her hand, and set it on Bankotsu's neck.

A soundless _boom_ went through the air. Bankotsu was thrown back several feet from Kagome's prone form. She shrieked as he landed with a thud flat on his back. Crying, Kagome sat up and rushed to his side.

He woke up, and shook his head. At first, as he sat up, he appeared glazed over, like before. But Kagome knew there was a difference immediately, because his jewel shards were clear and pure again. He noticed her wiping her tears from her face. "Kagome? Are you hurt? What happened to you? Who did this to you? Telll me Little Sister, who dared to violate you, and I'll kill him myself!"

"No, it's alright, Bankotsu, it's not as bad as it looks," Kagome began. But then, she could see as it hit him. His eyes flew open, and he grasped Kagome by the shoulders.

"Kagome, please tell me it wasn't me! It _was_ me, wasn't it?" Bankotsu gasped.

"Oh, yeah, it was you alright! I can smell your dead stink all over my Kagome, you filthy _corpse!"_

Kagome heard the words, and screamed as she looked up at Koga's furious face. "I'll kill you for good this time!" the wolf demon declared as he dove for Bankotsu's neck.

_NOTE #2: Inuyasha will make his reappearance next chapter!_


	15. Jakotsu Takes Charge

Little Sister

Chapter 15: Jakotsu Takes Charge

Kagome screamed again as Koga flung Bankotsu away from her with one arm, like he was brushing aside garbage. "I _knew_ that useless mutt wouldn't be able to keep you safe! Oh, Kagome, I was too late to save you!" the wolf howled in anguish.

"Koga, no, it's not what you think! Please stop it!" Kagome cried, grasping Koga by his other arm.

"No, Kagome, he's right! I can't do this anymore, I'm so sorry," she heard from behind her. Bankotsu had been flung almost twenty feet away, so Kagome couldn't reach him in time. She only saw the bloody stain on his neck, and his fingers reaching into that stain, pulling things that glistened out of it. Kagome could only manage to cry out as Bankotsu said, "Goodbye, Kagome," and pulled out his last jewel shard. As it fell from his fingertips, he dissolved into a skeleton, then collapsed in a heap. Koga was paralyzed with shock, and Kagome's shriek echoed through the twilight air.

_How could he do it? Why did he choose to take his life because of Naraku's evil games?_ Kagome's misery was only compounded by the fact that just five minutes before, she was reveling in the feel of his lips on hers, his hands caressing her body... Now, he was a pile of bones? No, she was not going to accept it! "Let me go to him, Koga, let go of me!" she demanded. Koga was too strong to just be able to wrest herself from his grasp, which right now was on her arms.

"We should just take his jewel shards before Naraku gets them, and then leave that dead body to it's fate, Kagome," Koga told her.

"No! I can't just take his jewel shards, no! I...I" she stammered. Kagome stopped herself just then. Was she about to say _I love him?_ How could she be in love with Bankotsu? Her confusion now mixed with her misery. "Help, I need help! Kaede, someone, please help me!" Kagome screamed wildly.

And just then, a long, serpentine flash of silver cut through the ground, causing Koga to leap away from Kagome. That opening was all she needed. She raced to Bankotsu's bones, frantically searching the ground for the jewel shards he'd pulled out. They were bloody, but even still, she had her ability to locate them easily. Once she had all three in her grasp, she looked up. Jakotsu had arrived, and must have seen Koga, and must have heard her screaming for help. Surely Jakotsu would try to help her with Bankotsu, wouldn't he?

"Oh, no, Bankotsu! What happened?" Jakotsu cried as he caught a glimpse of what had become of his beloved Big Brother.

"Naraku...black shards...and once he came out of it, he pulled his jewel shards out of his neck," Kagome answered in a barely coherent shaky voice.

"Kagome, listen to me! You can save him!" Jakotsu said once he managed to get close enough to Kagome and Bankotsu's bones so he could see the damage.

"Oh, no you don't! You're gonna be joining him in just a minute!" Koga wailed, then attacked. Jakotsu loosed Jakotsuto after the wolf demon, making him dodge again.

"Kagome, I'll keep him away, you need to place the jewel shards back into his neck area, and then you have to tell him to awaken! That's what he did to wake the others up from our grave, I watched how he did it!" he explained quickly.

Kagome crawled to Bankotsu's skull. After wiping her tears, she placed the three jewel shards on the upper spine, under his jaw that had dropped open. With shaky hands, she closed the skull's jaw, trying to ignore the pressing attacks of Koga, who obviously didn't want Bankotsu resurrected yet again. She said, "Bankotsu, get up!" There was no response. How did Jakotsu expect her to do this? She wasn't powerful like Naraku!

And just then, she thought of Bankotsu's awe-filled words from before..._You must be a far greater priestess than I've ever heard of!_ Priestess, like Kikyo? Well, maybe so!

_"Awaken, Bankotsu! Awaken, Bankotsu!"_ She repeated it over and over again. Suddenly, the flesh began to reappear! She chanted it like a mantra, _Awaken!_ And sure enough, his deep midnight eyes fluttered open once more.

"Great work, Kags!" Jakotsu yelled as he flung his sword at Koga once again.

"Huh...was I dead? Again?" he mumbled in a daze. Kagome lifted his head up so it could rest on her lap.

"Oh, Bankotsu, please don't ever do that again! Naraku is not worth your life! I'm so glad I have you back, I was so scared!" she confessed.

"Kagome! I hurt you! I can't forgive myself for hurting you!" Bankotsu cried, then began to struggle against Kagome, who was trying to keep his hands from reaching his neck once more.

"Jakotsu, help!" Kagome screamed. Jakotsu saw her plight and immediately dove behind Banktosu and trapped his arms behind him. It wasn't easy, because Bankotsu's physical strength was far greater than Jakotsu's, but maybe the adrenaline in Jakotsu's blood might have given him the edge. One way or another, he wasn't letting his big brother move.

"You better cut this shit out Bankotsu! What have you done, lost your fucking mind? You're not leaving the rest of us in Renkotsu's hands!" Jakotsu hissed angrily.

"He's my second-in-command, Jakotsu! He can do better than I can now!" Bankotsu growled.

"Kagome, you'd better take your backpack and get to the well. Don't let Koga stop you! Get home, where you'll be safe! I'll take care of this nitwit!" Jakotsu ordered her.

She crawled to her backpack, which Koga picked up with one hand. "Where are you going? I'll get you to somewhere safe, Kagome, I promise. You'll be safer in the den with my wolves, much safer!"

"Koga, please let me get away from here. They brought me all this way. I need to go home!" she cried. She then kicked Koga in the shin, which hit a jewel shard. It tumbled out of his leg, and he dropped her backpack so he could retrieve it. In that instant, Kagome grabbed the backpack and dashed for the well.

Jakotsu still had Bankotsu's arms pinned behind him, and he made them both stand up, so he could go to the well. Kagome looked behind her, and saw Bankotsu's sorry state. She was about to get back off the well's edge and go to Bankotsu, but Jakotsu grit his teeth and ordered her, "Go, dammit! Don't look back! Just go!" And with those words, Jakotsu gave Kagome a shove. The weight of her backpack caused her to topple right over, and she fell, fell, fell...

Jakotsu peered down into the well, and had seen the blue light surround Kagome. For a second, even Bankotsu and Koga were transfixed by it. Then, Koga snapped out of it. "Hey, why did you shove her down in this well? Where is my Kagome? Kagome, I'm coming for you!" Koga cried and launched himself into the well.

"You dumbass! What do you think you're doing?" Jakotsu demanded, as Koga hit the dirt bottom of the well. For a few moments, Koga floundered around down there. Suddenly, Jakotsu actually was quite glad that Kagome was now safely gone, Bankotsu was safely struggling against him, and Koga was safely down in that well. And maybe, just maybe, Kagome will return with his Paris Hilton...

"Jakotsu, thank you for getting her away," Bankotsu said sadly. "It will make what I have to do that much less difficult..."

Jakotsu winced. He knew what he'd have to do to stop Bankotsu, but once his big brother woke up again, there was sure to be hell to pay... He whacked Bankotsu on the head, causing the leader of the Band of Seven to crumple to the ground beside the well. Suddenly, a number of villagers raced up the path followed by a elderly priestess.

"Hey, who are you? And what are you doing here?" one farmer asked. Jakotsu was glad to see that he at least didn't see a pitchfork or a garden hoe in his hand as a weapon.

"I'm warning you to back off or you'll regret it!" Jakotsu said, taking Jakotsuto in hand once more.

"Clear out everybody, I've got him!" a new voice yelled out. Jakotsu looked up, and saw Inuyasha flying in. The villagers made a path for the hanyo, but the elderly preistess was not clearing out just for Inuyasha's sake.

"Inuyasha, I heard Kagome calling for help just moments ago. Was she with thee?" the preistess asked.

"Just let me take care of those two clowns over there, old woman!" Inuyasha grunted.

"Hey! Watch who you're talking to like that!" Jakotsu said, catching Inuyasha's perky ear and giving it a tug.

"Oh, it's you!" Inuyasha yelled, then punch Jakotsu in the face. Jakotsu went flying back several steps before stumbling onto the grassy ground.

Bankotsu had heard his enemy's voice, and it called him out of his stupor. "You nearly killed him just now! You ought to watch it, Inuyasha, you can kill someone with your fists, especially delicate humans. It's just a good thing for Jakotsu that his Sacred Jewel shard makes him more resilient!"

"My only problem is, I can't decide which one of you to kill first!" Inuyasha said. All of them heard Koga calling for Kagome suddenly, since his voice was echoing from the well. Inuyasha frowned when heard that voice. "What's that wimpy wolf doing in that well? Did...did you just put Kagome down the well?" he asked, stunned. Jakotsu simply nodded while flexing his jaw, assessing the damage from Inuyasha's blow. "Why?"

"Because she's safer there. I pray she has enough sense never to return here!" Bankotsu answered tersely.

"Look, you're right that she's safer back at her own home, there's no question of it. But...we need her here! She needs to help us find more jewel shards!" Inuyasha argued.

_"Inuyasha!"_ a young boy's voice yelled. It was Shippo, with Miroku and Sango running fast behind the kitsune, who flew into Inuyasha's face. Kirara roared, and Ginkotsu rolled into the village with Renkotsu and Suikotsu aboard.

"Wait a minute! What are you guys doing with those mercenaries?" Inuyasha demanded of Sango, but it was Renkotsu who answered, "What does it look like to you?"

"It looks like you and they are...getting along? Grr, now I'm totally confused!" Inuyasha said.

"Did Kagome get back?" Shippo asked.

_"Kagome?!!!? Where did you go?"_ Koga railed from the bottom of the Bone Eater's well.

"Oh, no! What's _he_ doing down there?" Shippo sighed.

"Guess what? I don't feel like helping him out of there," Jakotsu said.

"Oh, don't bother! He can jump out!" Shippo explained.

"Well, that's one problem solved. Now, Suikotsu, I need you to help me out with Big Brother," Jakotsu ordered. Suikotsu took over with Bankotsu in order to keep him from doing anything to damage himself further.

"Let me go! You're both going to get it once I get free!" Bankotsu yelled, trying to loosen Suikotsu's grasp, but the manaical mercenary personality made his muscles very strong indeed. "Jakotsu! I know you think you're trying to help me, but you have to let me go!"

"No, I won't! Kagome wouldn't want you to do this either! You must stop!" Jakotsu argued.

"What the hell is going on?" Inuyasha demanded.

Ginkotsu put two and two together. "He pulled out his jewel shards, didn't he? Big Brother! Lord Monk, you have to try and talk to him, like you talked to me! Please, we can't lose our Big Brother!"

Miroku turned to Bankotsu, who was shuffled over to Ginkotsu's platform. Once Bankotsu was seated, Miroku sat next to him. "What happened? Was it Naraku?"

"He...he took me over. For the very first time, he completely took me over. And, what scares me the most is that we're so far away from him. How can he do this?" Bankotsu asked in misery.

"It appears that he has been spending his time inside Mount Hakurei, protected by a shield that won't let demons through, other demons who might be a threat. He did this because, like Inuyasha, he's half-demon, and therefore has a stage when he must return to his weaker form, so that he might rebuild himself and make himself even more powerful. He and Inuyasha had been in a fierce battle not long ago, right before Naraku probably resurrected you all. The battle had left him very weak, in fact, his demonic aura was virtually undetectable for a while. So, while you all have been doing his bidding, fighting us and the rest of his multitude of enemies, he's been biding his time!" Miroku explained.

"Are you trying to imply that Naraku has rebuilt his strength already?" Renkotsu asked.

"That's in all likelihood the explanation for this attack today. He's using the jewel shards to exercise more and more control over you," Miroku ventured to guess.

"Oh, no! We must get rid of these things as soon as we possibly can!" Jakotsu declared. "Brothers, we have to make it our top priority!"

"How are we supposed to do that, Jakotsu?" Renkotsu snapped.

"You're supposed to be the smart one, right? Figure it out!" Jakotsu answered simply.

Renkotsu sighed. "Has it even occurred to you that we might be falling into a trap? Now, four out of the five of us is convinced without a doubt that we must get rid of our jewel shards. I keep asking, why should we? You heard Inuyasha before; he said he wants Kagome around so he could find more jewel shards! How much of a coincidence is it that the ones who are trying to convince us to give them up are the same ones who are so actively looking for as many as they can get their hands on?"

Inuyasha and his friend all began to protest at once. But it was Jakotsu who shushed them all, then turned to Renkotsu. "Hey, Renkotsu, have you ever heard that old saying about how if your only tool is a hammer, all your problems start to look like nails? That's how this Shikon Jewel is. Naraku's only weapon that's worth anything is the Shikon Jewel. But don't you remember, we have our own skills, our own powers? We never needed these jewel shards before! Besides, he'll never let us keep them. Even I, the stupid one, can see that! We have from now until the day he leaves that mountain to find a way to live without these shards keeping our heads from falling off our shoulders."

Renkotsu finally bowed his head and took a deep breath. "You're right. When you put it that way, it makes complete sense. I just don't want to die again," he admitted.

"Dying, in my opinion, would be preferable to being his puppet," Bankotsu muttered.

"Speak for yourself! I'll do whatever the bastard wants until I'm able to screw him out of this jewel shard! But, I promise I'll try to find a way to live without a jewel shard in my neck. Happy?" Renkotsu spat.

"Happy that we're all of one like mind? Yes, very! We can't be fighting eachother, or threatening to pull jewel shards out of our necks, while we need to be sticking together. Each of us, including Inuyasha and his allies, is someone with some sort of power. Each of us could accomplish great things. Imagine if we all worked together, what great things we'd be able to do!" Jakotsu suggested.

"Are you suggesting a formal alliance with us?" Miroku asked.

"Do you think, in your estimate of what you believe Naraku might be able to accomplish in Mount Hakurei, that if we were to all fight him as one army, that we'd be able to defeat him?" Renkotsu asked.

"It depends," Inuyasha sniffed. "Seeing as how we don't know how many more jewel shards there are to find, I'm not sure how much more powerful he might be once he finishes rebuilding himself."

"Suppose there are no more shards to find? Have you been coming across a lot of them lately in your travels?" Jakotsu asked with a touch of impatience.

"Actually, they have become very few and far between," Miroku admitted.

"Even so, that doesn't mean he has them all!" Renkotsu said.

"Well, of course he doesn't! There's all of our jewel shards, then there's one in Kohaku's back, and doesn't that wolf have shards too?" Jakotsu asked with more irritation. He didn't want this conversation to be all about jewel shards.

But Inuyasha come to a conclusion before Renkotsu could provide a full count. "If that's all true, then it looks like we've got to keep you morons _alive_ just to keep the shards out of Naraku's hands!" He growled, then sat on the grass in his semi-dog position, with his ears twitching with irritation. Of all the dumb foul luck! Stuck with these corpses while Kagome is taking her dumb test! Well, she'd better get back soon!

_Note: Next chapter, Kags finally takes her test! Also, be on the lookout for Sesshomaru in the next few chapters!_


	16. Kagome's Test

Little Sister

Chapter 16: Kagome's Test

Kagome rubbed the small of her back as she sat at the bottom of the Bone Eater's well. Then, she pulled her blouse together as best she could and yelled, "Naraku, I hope I get the chance to personally shove a Sacred Arrow Straight up your...!"

"Kagome! You're back, finally! Why's your backpack falling apart? Oh my gosh, is that _gold?_ Hey, Grandpa, we're rich! Kagome came back with money!" Sota yelled.

A few moments later, after Sota climbed down into the well, picking up gold coins that had fallen from Kagome's bag, Grandpa and Mom appeared. "We were just getting ready for dinner, dear. Come on out of there and get washed up," Mom advised.

"Kagome, m'dear, where did you come into such money during the Feudal Era?" Grandpa asked. He took the bag from Kagome as she and Sota climbed out of the well at last. Sota handed Grandpa the coins he'd collected. "Hmmm...I recall learning that during those times, many of the daimyos were short on gold and money like this! Did you and Inuyasha find some treasure buried somewhere?"

"Sort of like that, Grandpa. Look, I need to know how we're going to cash this money in so it can be used in these times! I can't figure out anything, do you have any ideas?" Kagome asked.

After a few seconds, Grandpa mused,"Well, there's always my old friend from when I was in the war..."

Mom gasped. "You don't mean that old crook!" she frowned.

"Oh, you're right, I shouldn't do that..." Grandpa appeased her, then winked at Kagome. She pulled her blouse as tightly around her as possible, but of course, Mom already seemed to have noticed that her clothes were torn and dirtier than usual.

"Kagome, you look like you had a rough time of it this time. Are you alright? Did Inuyasha take care of you?" Mom asked.

"I...I'm okay, Mom. I just need to eat, and wash up and sleep and take my test tomorrow," Kagome answered a bit shakily.

"Are you sure you can take that test tomorrow, Kagome? I know you were having trouble with Trigometry before you started traveling to the Feudal Era. With all you absences from school, I hope you are up to taking that test. It's a miracle that you did well on your placement exams! But this test..." Mom fretted as she hustled Kagome through the slide doors into the living room.

"Don't worry, Mom. Someone from the Feudal Era helped me with that. He wrote notes for the entire texbook! And for once, I understand everything! Really, I _know_ I'll blow this one out of the park!" Kagome assured Mom on her way up to her bedroom. She needed to change her clothes, she needed to bathe, _finally!_ She could tell everyone in her modern family about her new family, the Shichinintai, over dinner...

As Kagome peeled off her destroyed clothes, she thought she felt a trickle of...a presence of some sort. She took a deep breath, then released it. She turned around, and there, in the corner of the bathroom, stood the squat, ghostly form of Mukotsu. _"Hentai!"_ she snapped.

"Nonsense, I'm your husband," Mukotsu argued.

"Does the phrase, 'Til death do us part' mean anything to you?" Kagome asked with annoyance.

"Not to me! I'm a Twice-Dead," Mukotsu explained with undisguised glee.

Kagome sat on the toilet. "Just what is that?" she sighed.

"I've been killed twice in the same incarnation! Very rare, I assure you. My soul will take twice as long to find peace. It will take twice as long to reincarnate again. And, my spirit presence is twice a strong as before. So I'm able to follow you around, and you won't be able to get rid of me so easily!"

"What do you want?" Kagome asked.

"You, of course, my lovely bride!" Mukotsu answered.

"How is that supposed to work?" Oddly enough, she _almost_ wasn't angry at him. The thought that he was giving up his afterlife to hang around her was almost _flattering..._

"I'm sure you'll find a way, if you ever wish to be rid of me..."

"You can't hang around here and watch me take a bath!" Kagome growled.

"Of course I can, and I shall indeed!" Mukotsu countered.

"Fine! You want to watch me parade around naked in front of you, all the while knowing you can't _do_ anything about it, fine! Just know this, I'm planning on spend your money quite throughly!" Kagome huffed.

"Oh, by all means do! That's what it's there for! You inherited my fortune, so you are perfectly entitled to spend every last coin, if that's your desire!"

"On designer clothes, and shoes, and a new car, and a bigger house, with a huge bathtub in it..." Kagome got so lost in her fantasy of her wealth that she was nearly able to ignore the toad man perched on the edge of the bathtub, leering at her breasts as she sunk into the hot water at last... "I wonder if Prada makes penny loafers..."

"Oh, indeed, you were so robbed, my lovely wife! I left you a virgin bride," Mukotsu groused. "No wonder you are so angry!"

"Frankly, the one I'm most pissed with is Naraku!" Kagome declared, beginning to soap herself. "Gee, I'd ask you to soap my back, but I guess you can't."

"Argh! The agony!" Mukotsu wailed as he tried in vain to grasp the bar of soap, but his ghostly hands could not touch it.

"Hey, Sis? Who are you talking to in there?" Sota asked from the other side of the door.

"I'm talking to my husband, so beat it!" Kagome yelled back. Mukotsu absolutely beamed.

_"Mom, Kagome's going crazy!"_ Sota yelled off in the distance.

"Grrr, fine, I'll go, but I'll be back my lovely bride, you can depend on that!" Mukotsu promised, then dissolved into the thin air from which he came. _Great, just what I need, Mukotsu hanging around! I wonder if Bankotsu knows anything about this Twice-Dead business..._ Kagome thought as she ran more water for the bath.

After dinner, and after checking her email (which gets so totally swamped with well-wishes from friends, jokes, and spam during her times in the Feudal Era), Kagome unpacked her backpack at last. She got the precious blue sparkled notebook that Renkotsu filled with Trigonometry goodness, found her cellphone which she plugged into the charger, and took out Suikotsu's, Renkotsu's and Jakotsu's bags of gold. She'd already figured out a way to keep little "accounts" for them in these times, since they insisted on paying their own way for everything. She planned on going to Hojo's pharmacy right after school tomorrow, so that she could get most of the stuff she needed for her brothers. Among those things were pre-paid debit cards for Jakotsu, Suikotsu and Renkotsu. She sure hoped Grandpa could come through for her. No doubt, Hojo would be asking a million questions, even if she didn't show up with gold coins to pay the bill! She sorted all of her own gold coins and put them into a velour pouch which once held hair ties. How much money did she really have here? A weird thrill coursed through her. How was she supposed to sleep, when she could be spending all her time thinking of the money?

The answer came, of course, when she finally yawned so wide, her jaw cracked. Mukotsu chose that moment to make his next appearance. "Don't even bother, I'm too tired!" she said sleepily. She set her alarm clock, then put the bags of money under her teddy bear at the corner of her bed. Mukotsu nearly started licking his lips as Kagome slipped under the covers.

"Sweet dreams, my bride! I'll be seeing you again, and you'd better not be with my brother whan I do," he whispered, then dissolved again. Kagome groaned. _Mukotsu had better butt out of my love life! He's dead, and he has no right to tell me who to be with!_ Just for that, Kagome made sure she fell asleep with the thought of Bankotsu's lips on hers foremost in her mind, so that her dreams would be filled with him as much as possible...

The next day, Kagome turned over all the money to Grandpa, explaining that her Shichinintai brother's money must be kept seperate from hers. Then, Kagome and Sota headed off for school right after breakfast.

Ayumi, Yuka and Eri caught up with Kagome about half way to school. Kagome's circle of friends from these times all clamored to try and get every detail of her latest "illness." She deflected their questions by dropping this bit of news: "I...I think I've got a new boyfriend."

Stunned, the trio began to demand how in the world she gets around to meeting these guys while in a sickbed! Kagome glanced at her side, since she sensed Mukotsu's presence yet again, and she smiled. "Well, that's just it! I'm so sick, and these guys, well, they just can't help but want to attend to a lady in distress!"

Mukotsu snorted. "You tell them you're _sick?_ What foolishness is this? But I must admit, I rather like that all your friends dress the same way you do. I appreciate shapely legs, heh, heh!"

Kagome thought towards him, _"Stop being a dirty old man!"_ It was a good thing that her friends couldn't see her "husband," since explaining him away would be far too difficult. As it was, she could only pray that Mukotsu would get too bored hanging around her at school to remain at her side all day. Mukotsu actually giggled and then gave her a repreive and vanished once again. And thankfully, her friends were all too busy voicing their opinions to notice her shaking her head as they entered the campus.

A tall young man immediately caught Kagome's attention, and she made a straight line for him. "Hojo, just the man I need!" she called to him. Her three friends locked onto this comment like heat-seeking missiles, and stood only two feet further back from her when she apporached the most popular boy in school.

Hojo finished locking his bike onto the rack and gave Kagome a huge smile. "You need me? I'm at your service! Are you feeling okay now? I heard your hip was dislocated pretty badly!"

"I've never been better! Tell me something, at your store, do you have pre-paid Visa cards there?"

"Oh, sure! We've got Visa, American Express, gift cards, iTunes cards..." Hojo itemized.

"How about perfume?"

"You name it, we've got it," Hojo answered with a smile.

"What about surgical supplies?" Kagome then asked, a bit uncertain. She'd never actually heard of anyone trying to buy them before.

"Don't worry, Higurashi, if we don't have it in stock, we can special order it."

"And what about school supplies? I've got to get a massive supply of notebooks and pens and stuff," Kagome warned him.

"We just got a shipment that I unpacked yesterday," Hojo laughed.

"Great, I'll be there straight after I drop my books off at home!" Kagome told him.

"I'll be there!" Hojo said with excitement as they had to part ways to go to their lockers. Kagome opened hers only after struggling to remember the combination. Eri had her cornered after she got her English book out.

"So! You finally have wised up and dumped that possessive creep for Hojo Toshiro! Ah, good for you!" she cried.

Kagome laughed, then noticed Mukotsu yet again beside her. _Sure, the only possessive creep I have to dump is the one that Eri can't see standing in front of her!_ Kagome wanted to get to class before the bell rang so she could start looking over Renkotsu's notes one last time, so she picked up her pace, which was easier since she didn't have so much crap in her backpack like she did yesterday, with Bankotsu... Her face began to flush, and her friends began to giggle uncontrollably. She let them think she was thinking of Toshiro. It would be too difficult explaining any of the Band of Seven to her modern friends.

"So, honey, how did you do on your test?" Mom asked as soon as Kagome got home later that day.

"I think I aced it! I don't understand why my teachers can't teach things so I can understand them! I'd be able to take so much time off from school, and yet still be able to keep up!" Kagome groused.

"Kagome, do you need to talk about something? Sota had said you joked about a husband last night. And now, I've been noticing a strange looking little man wandering around after you..." Mom said.

"You...you can see him!" Kagome gasped. Mukotsu, who chose to materialize yet again, goggled at Mom as well.

"So can Grandpa; he _is_ a priest, you know," Mom reminded her.

Kagome turned to the ghostly Mukotsu and said, "Why don't you explain it to her? I dare you, in fact, to explain it to my mother!"

"Why, I shall be glad to! You are my mother now as well, I suppose, are you not? I am Mukotsu of the Shichinintai! My darling Kagome had agreed to become my bride just before my untimely death. I...I am ashamed to say that I appealed to her sense of pity, for we barely knew eachother, and I must confess that to have a lovely girl like your daughter as my bride, even if it was to be the most brief of marriages, well, it was my most desperate wish. She had not known it at the time, but I was extremely wealthy in life. That is where the money had come from; I had made it known to my brothers that I would want my wife to be taken proper care of, in the event of my death. And so, my beloved Big Brother had carried out my final wishes," Mukotsu explained in that pitiful manner he had surely become accustomed to using if he wanted to get sympathy.

"Mukotsu. How long do you intend to follow my daughter around?" Mom asked. "Surely, you would wish to go on, even reincarnate! You have an afterlife you need to go to eventually, don't you?"

"Please, allow me to remain with her just a little longer. I promise you, and her, just a little while longer. I never got a chance to show her how devoted a husband I could be to her!" _Oh, please, let's just roll out the violin now, to accompany the sob story of Mukotsu,_ Kagome thought crossly.

"It just seems...weird to me. I warn you, Grandpa Higurashi is a Shinto priest. If you get too troublesome, he has the means to exorcise you," Mom warned him.

"Ah, I see. I will be as unobtrusive as a feather on her shoulder, I promise, heh, heh," Mukotsu assured Mom. "Oh, perhaps your grandfather has been able to help you with my money, dearest. I see him coming now."

Kagome ran to Grandpa, who had a small plastic card in his hand. After handing it to his granddaughter, he smiled widely. "We're all set, Kagome! This is for you, and you'll be able to access the account anytime with it. I trust that you'll keep your head on you with using this. Money is a tool, Kagome, not a power. If you remember that, you will do well in life."

"Grandpa, Mom, I want to be able to help you all out too!" Kagome protested.

"And so you shall; I'm making up my list right now!" Grandpa told Kagome half-serously.

"Speaking of lists, I have to go! I've got a ton of supplies and things I have to get for my next trip back to the Feudal Era!" Kagome gasped as she took one more deep breath, looked at the bank card with a slight tremble in her hand, then slipped it into her pocket. "Mukotsu, why don't you come with me? I'll bet you can help me pick out some make up colors for Jakotsu and notebook colors for Renkotsu."

"If that boy you spoke to this morning is the shopkeeper, then I can't go with you, dearest," Mukotsu said very mysteriously.

"Why, what's wrong with Hojo?" Kagome asked.

"I must stay away from that boy. It's not something I can explain in words, it's a feeling that words are too inadequate to describe. I'll just go haunt my big brother now, and tell him how well you are doing, spending my money. I'm sure he'll be glad to hear it!" Mukotsu said merrily.

"Gee, what was that about exorcism?" Kagome growled. Mukotsu simply giggled in that awful way of his and disappeared.

"Remember Kagome, don't be too nice to him, even if he did leave you with his money. Don't let him use that money as power over you!" Mom reminded her.

"Oh, don't worry, I don't intend to..." Kagome assured them all, then ran to the house to get her purse.

_NOTE: Next chapter might come pretty soon, since it's just a fun chapter and doesn't really move the story along too much. Thanks to all of you for your reviews too, you guys are great!_


	17. Everything's Coming Up Shichinintai!

Little Sister

Chapter 17: Everything's Coming up Shichinintai!

Kagome sat in the bleachers, cheering on the home team at the soccer game that her friends had twisted her arm to go to the next night. They complained that she never got out to have any fun! Of course, Kagome could come up with a million reasons not to go, but none of them would satisfy her friends, so she allowed herself to be dragged to the game. Of course, Hojo Toshiro was the star of the school's soccer team. So she _really_ couldn't back out once he asked her if she'd attend the game!

It turned out that this game was getting really exciting! The visiting team was pretty elite, but the home team was up for the task. So many close calls! The goalies on both teams were getting vigorous workouts that was for sure! Everytime Hojo tried to make a shot, her friends around her all screamed. This went on for the whole game, and by the end, it was still tied, 1-1. But the home team got possession of the ball. Another player tried to pass the ball to Hojo, but the visitors intercepted! Kagome gasped, watching the clock with one eye and the field with the other. A valiant defenseman managed to get that ball out from between the aggressive linesman's feet and sent it flying to whoever could try to get it. It was sailing right towards Hojo, and he had a clear shot at the opposing goal, but to do it, he had to leap and flip, slamming the soccer ball with his right foot at an awkward angle. He managed to do it, and as the ball shot into the goal, it became evident that it had cost Hojo a great deal to make such a play. He landed on his back, and the pain was all over his face.

Kagome's friends squeaked and squealed in terror. Kagome herself leaped to her feet so she could see what had happened. The wild cheering and screaming was drowning her mind, so she decided to climb down to the field, since the game was over, and see what had happened to Hojo. It took a long time to get to him, but her brand new status as "Hojo's girl" got her hustled up to his side a bit more quickly than if she'd been just any old girl. When she finally managed to get to his side, it was worse than she'd first thought. Hojo's entire ankle was shattered.

"Kagome, they're taking me to the hospital," Hojo frowned.

"I'll come with you," Kagome told him. His face lit up in spite of his agony. Well, no one wanted to go to the hospital alone, did they? She knew, if the situation had been reversed, he'd probably be carrying her to the hospital in his arms. She'd just call Mom and tell her what happened so she wouldn't worry.

It turned out that Kagome had to wait in the emergency room's waiting area the whole time. She sighed, decided she'd watch some tv. They had the news on. But someone changed the channel, and now, Iron Chef was on. Kagome had seen this program twice in her entire life, and though she was interested in seeing how the competetion was going, she felt her eyelids grow heavy. Which was probably why she thought she heard the name "Ginkotsu" being announced as one of the "Iron Chefs." _Huh? What's Ginkotsu doing there? Slicing chicken? And dicing peppers and onions with a huge shiny silver knife?_

Ginkotsu had his wild orange hair mostly bound under a tall chef's hat. Kagome was so glad he had his body back! He didn't even allow a smirk to cross his face as he tossed the sliced chicken onto a sizzling hot iron plate, then dashed some brown liquid onto the cooking food, making steam fill the air. After that, he stepped back, with the huge silver knife in one of his crossed hands, waiting to be judged...

Another person changed the channel, but Kagome was too half-asleep to protest. Besides, it was a doctor show, how appropriate! Several doctors were hovering over a patient in surgery, their faces all covered with masks, and their hair was covered by surgeons skullcaps. But one of them spoke, and she knew that voice! "I need an number 6 scapel," the surgeon said. "I'm going in to remove his ruptured spleen..."

As the all-too-familiar doctor began cutting, the monitors all started going haywire. "Dr. Suikotsu, we're losing him! He's crashing!" _Hey, that voice is familiar too!_

"Dr. Kikyo, increase his IV to 400 mL!" Suikotsu yelled as he began to start heart compressions. The tension was high when Suikotsu glanced up at the monitors, and they had flatlined. "I won't lose this patient!" he declared stubbornly as he pressed away. _"Come on!"_ he growled in that _Mr. Hyde-Suikotsu_ voice. And then, happily, the hear started to beat once again, and Dr. Kikyo slid to his side for the rest of the operation.

The next scene, Suikotsu had emerged victorious from the operating room, and he slowly took off his mask and cap. "I have another surgery in an hour. Have me paged if I'm needed," he told a nurse at the nurses station. The next thing Kagome knew, Suikotsu had entered an out-of-the-way supply room, where another doctor was waiting for him...

"Kikyo! We've got to stop meeting like this," Suikotsu said, even as he drew her into his arms.

"You don't really mean that, do you? Let's not waste time; you've got surgery in another hour, and I've got my rounds," Kikyo suggested as they really got busy, and the scene went black...

Kagome declared loudly, in her sleepy stupor, "I knew you were my favorite brother for a reason, Suikotsu!" She then turned her head, and someone changed the channel once again.

It was a gossip show. And the host had bright red lipstick on, and his hair knotted in the back with a jade butterfly hairpin, and two long blue stripes streaming down his pretty face. He was dressed in a flowing orange silk dress. _Gee, Jakotsu looks good in orange!_ "...and then there's Britney Spears... I don't know about you, but I think Brad and Angelina ought to adopt those two kids instead of going to Vietnam! As if anybody want to see her privates hanging out under her skirt! I can't think of anything more digusting, can you? I mean, why can't we have someone, some hot and smexy man have his privates hanging out instead? Meowrrrr..." he declared in his husky feminine voice.

Kagome shot wide awake at that moment. Surely, the hostess (for that's who was really on the tv, of course) did not just say that! Only Jakotsu would say something that outrageous! Oh, she couldn't wait to get back to Kaede's village so she could finally give him his coveted Paris Hilton Heiress. He was in for a special treat too, because she also decided to purchase Paris Hilton's original perfume too, since the bottle's spirals of pink and black had caught her eye. Something told her that she and Jakotsu had similar tastes. Which sounds really weird, but hey, maybe she has more in common with a cross-dressing mercenary than she thought. After all, they seemed to have the same taste in men, too, didn't they?

She settled back into the chair. The hostess of the gossip show was quite boring compared to Jakotsu, that's for sure! So, Kagome looked at her watch. It was still not too late, but Hojo had been in the emergency for hours. She had gotten word that he needed surgery himself. Well, that just sucked, didn't it? Poor Hojo! She sighed, she'd be there for quite a while!

Eventually, a game show came on after the gossip show. The host of the game show was bald, but still in the prime of his life. He had a deceptively nice face, like a kind monk she'd once seen...with a sacred jewel shard in his neck! _Oh, no! Renkotsu! What are you doing there?_ "What is refracted light?" the contestant answered.

"No, I'm sorry! The answer is, what is _reflected_ light..." Renkotsu corrected the hapless contestant. He suddenly changed, and his Shichinintai battle paint appeared on his face. He guzzled down some of that liquid from that nasty gourd he carried around, and then blew some hot flames at the contestant!

Kagome gasped and woke up again, only to find the game show host had _not_ acutally set his contestant on fire after all. Wow, she was certainly influenced by those men she'd let behind in the Feudal Era! She was placing her brothers in the modern times. She'd done this before, placing her Feudal Era friends into modern context, mostly in her dreams. Why would it be any different with the Shichinintai? Her mind was trying to imagine how the others might fit in here. What about Bankotsu...

Oh! Imagine if her friends had ever met Bankotsu! In an instant, they'd be saying, "Hojo, who?" In fact, that baseball player now on the tv screen, whose back was to the camera as he readied for the pitch, he moved like Bankotsu did. Graceful, compact and yet there was power in those muscles. His legs were spread over the home plate, and his feet were planted firmly on the dirt, but had enough spring in them to fly to the next base.

Bankotsu took a swing, not with a bat, but with Banryu, of course. "He's just blasted this one out of the park! Home run!" the announcer crowed.

"Oh, yeah, a home run with Bankotsu, woo hoo," Kagome murmured as she sleepily stretched in her chair. Suddenly, her husband appeared, which jolted her back to reality. Well, her strange version of it, anyway...

"You'd better behave yourself, young lady, or you'll be answering to me! Thinking lustful thoguths about Bankotsu while your poor friend's ankle is getting pinned back to gether again! My brother sure hasn't wasted any time with you, has he?" Mukotsu growled crossly.

_"We didn't really get to do anything, but I want to! Damn it all, I want him!"_ Kagome thought toward him, not daring to speak aloud, thinking she'd already entertained everyone in the emergency room waiting room quite enough.

"Just heed my warning, my lovely wife! Bankotsu is never going to be devoted to you as I am. He's used to two women at a time at least, did you know that? Maybe you _and_ your pretty friend with the demon cat could entertain him for an evening..." Mukotsu countered lewdly. Then before Kagome could even think of screaming at him, he vanished. _Oh yeah, as if I'd share Bankotsu with Sango!_ Sango wouldn't share Miroku with her! Friends don't do their friends boyfriends! Damn that Mukotsu, he could be such a _hentai!_

Suddenly, she saw someone feebly waving to her. Kagome got up and saw Hojo being wheeled out. She went to him, but he seemed so out of it! "Hojo, are you okay?" she asked him.

"Oooh, the anesthetic hasn't quite worn off. So, I'm feelin' no pain, but I'm seein' such weird stuff. Who was that guy that was talking to you?" he asked.

Kagome felt the world begin to close in on her. _Oh, no! Hojo could see Mukotsu? But how?_ "Oh, he was just waiting for his wife, that's all."

"He disappeared," Hojo protested.

"Well, Toshiro, it was the anesthetic, that's all," Mrs. Hojo reassured him. "Higurashi, that was so kind of you to stay here waiting for Toshiro! Especially since you've been so ill yourself! I hope that once Toshiro gets back on his feet, that he'll return the favor and help you with your schoolwork!"

"Oh, she hardly needs my help, Mom! She totally aced a killer Trig exam yesterday after being out two weeks! I've heard rumors of a mystery tutor that's been helping her," Hojo reported. _Oh, yeah, wouldn't you just love to meet him!_ Kagome thought, letting a mysterious smile creep over her lips.

"All the same, it would only be right." Mrs. Hojo had given Kagome a great lead! Hojo was able, somehow, to keep her obnoxious dead husband away. Look how he disappeared tonight, right before Hojo came out of surgery! What better excuse to see him than to pretend she needs help with catching up? _But wait! Isn't that using him unfairly?_ Kagome asked herself.

_Not if he's willing to be used! Sometimes, you just need to put these men to work for you!_ Kagome got a chill down her spine. It was the first time she'd heard her own thoughts coming out with a slightly different voice, and that voice was familiar. It was the voice of her proir incarnation, Kikyo! And in that instant, she realized that her soul could live through her and through Kikyo at the exact same time! But, it wasn't the same time, was it? Oh, life was so confusing! "I'm sorry I'm not better company; I'm just so tired right now," Kagome explained.

"Please, Higurashi, let us drive you home!" Mr. Hojo offered.

"It's the least we can do!" Mrs. Hojo added. Kagome accepted with a grateful smile, and Hojo just began snoozing with a big smile across his face as well...

Five hundred years before that, there were two brothers sitting back to back on opposite sides of a dried-out old well. They had come there seperately, once the hanyo Inuyasha left finally. Jakotsu looked at the stars, resting his back against the low wooden wall of the well, but had heard the footsteps of his big brother on the grass, so he knew that Bankotsu had settled on the other side. For a moment, they were both silent. Then, Bankotsu said sadly, "Ja, I really fucked up this time."

Jakotsu had no need to ask what Bankotsu meant. "No you didn't. Kags'll be back. She...I really think she cares for you, Big Brother."

"You know, I don't think I've ever said this to you, but I've always suspected that you were the strongest of all of us, Jakotsu," Bankotsu confessed.

"Now, that's just silly talk. I don't know where this is coming from, but I don't know _anybody_ who has faced what you've faced and had been able to survive it! I know if I had to watch you slash your stomach open and then get your head lopped off, I wouldn't be able to handle it! It was bad enough watching the others do it!" Jakotsu dashed a tear off his cheek and sniffed. "We need to get our revenge on whoever is left. We have _so much_ to do! I pray that we get the time to do it all, before Naraku pulls our jewel shards out!"

"I have led us all so far astray! Two of us are now gone for good, and Ginkotsu is barely hanging on. Suikotsu is having great difficulty keeping himself straight because he has a tainted jewel shard that counter-acts the crystal I've made him. And Renkotsu, well, I've never seen him this scared shitless. Of all of us, you seem to be the only one who hasn't been so...affected by all of what's happened to us."

"There are times I can't sleep. There are times that I worry that Renkotsu is going to swoop down like a bird of prey from a craggy cliffside and snuff you out. I know one thing, I'm damned glad that Kagome was able to resurrect you before Renkotsu found you like that!" Jakotsu said with a shudder.

"I wouldn't be so worried about Renkotsu if I knew he was plotting my demise as usual," Bankotsu admitted.

"That's insane!" Jakotsu protested.

"No it's not! That would just be life as usual for us, rather than these nasty circumstances that we find ourselves in now!" Bankotsu countered. "Sometimes I wish we had our old problems back instead of these new, more impossible problems!"

"But, Bankotsu, you're forgetting something! W're not alone anymore! We've got a team of allies that will help keep Naraku from destroying us. I for one intend to stick with them, just like I stick with you. I know I want to keep Naraku from destroying them, and maybe, we can get Kohaku back for Sango. That would keep her forever in our debt, wouldn't it?" Jakotsu pointed out.

"Ha! Jakotsu with his new-found good intentions!" Bankotsu scoffed.

"Maybe, just maybe, if I try this approach, then the universe might finally reward me wiht what I'd been promised so long ago... I remember thinking, as the blade came down on my neck, that I'd have to give up ever finding my true love. But with this second chance I've been given, I can make it happen. Oh, Bankotsu, you've found true love! Tell me what it's like!" Jakotsu demanded, turning around to face Bankotsu, who now turned around and peered down in the well.

"Do you want to know the truth? It's like having a beautiful dagger, with such a shiny blade, and with such a lovely hilt, that the very thought of sticking it in your chest becomes overwhelmingly appealing. You know it's going to hurt like hell, and will probably kill you, but you can't stop yourself, Jakotsu. I...I can't stop myself from loving her! The blade is now lodged in my heart, and every time it beats, it aches. But I can't pull the blade out! I don't want to pull the blade out! The pain makes me remember that I'm alive!"

"Imagine, a pain that will remind me that I'm alive..." Jakotsu whispered in awe. His mind immediately called forth that most unusual experience he'd had all those years ago, in the great fortress of the Demon Empress Jingo. After all, that was when he'd first found out about his destiny...

_"He is more than welcome to remain here while you are away. I know that he will find many things in my home that are of great interest to him..." Those were the Empress' words. Hmph! Sure, he was the odd one, Jakotsu thought miserably, so he'd have to "stay home" while his brothers amused themselves greatly with those ladies of the Empress' court. Blech! What would he want with them, except perhaps steal their clothes. Well, never mind. He didn't need them!_

This castle was twice the size of a normal large castle, merely because the Empress' true form was twice the size of an ordinary human. Opening doors was not so much of a chore only because Jakotsu's arms had become quite strong from the constant training he'd done for so many years with the sword. One of these sets of doors slid open to reveal a garden, the likes of which Jakotsu had never seen before.

For a few moments, he merely breathed in the floral scent. It was strong, not overwhelming, but there was no mistaking each different type of blossom. The moonlight streamed though the branches of cherry trees dotted with white and pink petals. Running water tumbled from stones somewhere beyond Jakotsu's immediate eyeshot. The path was paved with smooth flat gray rocks, and it wound deeper and deeper into the garden. He began to follow this path, leading into a more secluded and private area, with more dense growth of flowers, trees, and even a gate. He opened the gate and followed the path further.

There, he came upon a bit of a clearing, with a reflection pool at his feet. There were cushions to sit on, and to Jakotsu's suprise, there was someone already sitting there.

He found himself unable to take a breath for a moment. For this person sitting before the reflection pool was simply the most beautiful young man he'd ever seen. An aura seemed to glow around him, making him appear even more like he was from heaven. Slowly, Jakotsu approached him. The young man looked up at him and gave him the most loving, trusting smile.

"Oh, you've finally come here! I've been waiting for you," the young man told him.

"You have? But why? Who are you?" Jakotsu asked at last.

"I'm your future lover," the young man answered. Jakotsu found the ability to breathe gone again. There was no way this could be true, because young men like this one simply did not exist. Sad, but true.

"How could that be? What is your name?" Jakotsu asked, taking his future lover's hands into his.

"I don't know, because I haven't been born yet," he answered shyly.

Jakotsu shook his head in confusion. He was also finding himself a bit sad; how could he meet someone so perfect, then be told that he hadn't even been born yet? Just his rotten luck! He cupped the boy's face in his hands then, caressing his cheeks. "That can't be. Here you are before me, you can't be just a dream!" Jakotsu kissed the young man, gently penetrating his mouth with his tongue. There was a taste there, sweet and fine, but something that Jakotsu had never tasted before. When he reluctantly pulled back, Jakotsu gazed as hard as he could at the boy's face. He must recall that face someday! "I already love you! How can I ever let you go now?"

A sad look crossed the young man's face, and Jakotsu thought his heart, newly rediscovered, would break in half. "Please wait for me. I know that it is a great deal to ask of you, but if you are patient, I promise I will be yours forever, once you find me, and once I grow enough to be with you."

"I will wait for you, I swear that I will!" Jakotsu declared, embracing him completely. When he pulled back, to Jakotsu's surprise, the young man had grown to full adulthood. His beauty was only increased by the maturity now in his face, and his gentle smile was breathtaking.

"I was hoping I'd hear you say that. Remember the taste of my kiss, that's how you'll know you found me," he told Jakotsu.

"That I'll have no trouble remembering, but you must give me at least some sort of idea on where I will see you again, please!" Jakotsu begged.

"It will be when you least expect it, my love. It will seem that it was impossible that we should even have crossed paths, let alone fall in love, but it will happen. Because this..." he answered, gesturing all around him, and then between them both, "is not a dream. It's a promise." One last time, they kissed, and again, that flavor of his future lover's mouth flooded his own.

So, it is the taste that I must recall, rather than the face. Very well. Whatever I have to do, I will do it!_ Slowly, Jakotsu drifted under layers of reality, until he was literally dreaming, since he had fallen asleep in the garden. When he and his brothers left the following day, the Empress had bestown powers upon them unlike any they could have ever hoped to attain on their own, but Jakotsu was more interested in the promise than in his new powers..._

"Yes, I know it's coming soon, my chance will be here soon, Bankotsu, and then, we'll both have so much more to live for! Please try to hang in there long enough, Big Brother!" Jakotsu urged the crestfallen younger man whose midnight eyes gazed sadly into the depths of the well.

"I'll try to believe you for now, Jakotsu, I promise. I'll try to live long enough to see Kagome again."

_NOTE: Whew, long chapter! Don't worry, next chapter it's all back to business!_


	18. To The Fuedal Era and Back Again

Little Sister

Chapter 18: There to the Feudal Era and Back Again

Kagome had her bag packed with some supplies, but she knew she'd have to make two trips. With the stuff she'd gotten for her brothers, and the new first aid kit she got for her friends, plus all the food, her bag wasn't going to hold it all. And besides, she had a special treat for Inuyasha, and she didn't want it to get cold, so she hurried with the food first. Sota watched her leave through the well, and when she emerged, Inuyasha was there to greet her.

"Ah! Perfect, Inuyasha! This is for you!" She gave him a big bag of McDonald's.

"Kagome! This even beats Ninja food! Here, let me get that other bag for you. What took you so damned long anyway?" Inuyasha asked.

"I had to wait while Suikotsu's surgical kit was ordered. And...I'm going to need to go back really soon. I'm just back to refill all you guys on medicines and stuff. And...I really missed you guys," Kagome answered. Inuyasha set the bag on the grass, then gave Kagome a look. "What is it?" she asked him.

"You'll be glad to know that those morons who keep calling you their 'little sister' are all shacking up in tents right outside the village. They won't leave, mostly because they think you're coming back to help them!" Inuyasha reported in annoyance.

_"Kagome! Our Little Sister is back!_ Did you get it, did you get it?" Jakotsu demanded as soon as he saw Kagome climbing out of the well.

"Just let me go back and get the other bag," Kagome said, jumping back into the well once again.

"Gee, what was she getting you?" Inuyasha sneered at Jakotsu.

"You'll see, you'll see! Hey, you guys, get over here! Kags is back!"

_"Kags?"_ Inuyasha growled. He was going to have to set that girl straight. She was already way too close to these enemies. Besides, he had been under the impression that Jakotsu hated women, so why was he so chummy with _Kags?_

Suikotsu joined them, and Kagome could tell immediately that he was in his "good doctor" mood. For one moment, she wondered whether that silly doctor show dream could really be true. After all, when she and her friends first found Suikotsu in that village, who should turn up but Kikyo. She glanced at Inuyasha, whose ears were twitching irritably as he watched Jakotsu open up Kagome's bag. _How ironic! As soon as there's a possiblity that Kikyo may have moved on with someone else, now I've started really falling for someone else! Life doesn't get any easier, does it?_ "Inuyasha, stay here, I'll be right back!" Kagome told him.

"Sure, I'm not going anywhere with these guys so closeby..." Inuyasha muttered, even as he opened the bag of McDonald's and sniffed the aroma deeply. Once the blue light surrounded Kagome again, Suikotsu glanced at Inuyasha. He was happily devouring a Big Mac.

"My, that food certainly does seem strange!" he declared.

"Heh, don't worry, _Doctor,_ I'm a half-demon, so I can eat as much of this food as I want and it won't hurt me. I bet you delicate, puny humans can't handle too much of this food!" Inuyasha sneered.

"Hey, look at this! What's this wrapped in paper...it smells good!" Jakotsu asked, pulling out a brown and silver wrapped bar from Kagome's bag.

"That's probably for Shippo, so you'd better get your dirty corpse hands off it! I can smell it; it's chocolate! And it melts really fast too. Not good Ninja food, that's for sure!" Inuyasha explained crossly.

"Well, since there's a few of them in here, I'm sure the Kitsune can do without one of them," Jakotsu declared nastily as he unwrapped the Hershey bar. Once he got to the brown bar inside the silver paper, he took a small nibble from the tip. He let it melt in his mouth, because, as Inuyasha correctly declared, it did melt very quickly. And that was when Jakotsu brought his fingers delicately to his lips and gasped very slowly. _"It's chocolate..."_ he whispered, almost like it was a prayer..._ Jakotsu kissed the young man, gently penetrating his mouth with his tongue. There was a taste there, sweet and fine, but something that Jakotsu had never tasted before..."Remember the taste of my kiss, that's how you'll know you found me..."_ Jakotsu's heart began to race; he knew he hadn't gone mad! The taste of his future lover's mouth was chocolate! "Oh, I must tell Big Brother! It's chocolate!" Jakotsu leaped to his feet and dashed off with the chocolate bar.

"You guys just keep getting weirder and weirder!" Inuyasha sniffed. "I'm sure glad I've got this food here so it can temporarily cover up that stink you corpses keep giving off!"

_"Inuyasha! How could you be so mean!"_ Kagome gasped, rebounding from the well with some more packages.

"Oh, don't worry, Little Sister," Suikotsu said in a deceptively calm voice. Kagome could already tell that Mr. Hyde was emerging as he picked up one of his brand new, 2007 model surgical steel scalpels. "He has no idea how truly skilled I am with something like this..."

Inuyasha had an unpleasant recollection of his last fight with Suikotsu. That's one guy wyou don't want getting too close to you! If he wasn't a half-demon, his insides would have been all over the ground from Suikotsu's claws. "Geaaah," he gagged, edging a bit away from the mad doctor/mercenary brandishing the scalpel.

"Suikotsu!" Kagome warned him. Suddenly, Suikotsu was smiling in that disarming, innocent manner of his, and placed the scalpel very gingerly back into it's case. She shook her head slightly, then asked, "Where's Jakotsu? I wanted to show him his Paris Hilton perfumes I got him!"

"He took one of Shippo's chocolate bars and then ran off to find Bankotsu!" Inuyasha tattled.

Kagome sighed and gathered the rest of Shippo's candy back into it's bag. "Is everyone still alive since I left them?" she wondered aloud.

"Well, Koga left once Ginta and Hakkaku finally caught up with him. And, if you count all of those dead jerks as being 'alive,' then yeah, I suppose!" Inuyasha snorted.

Two of those "dead jerks" rumbled over to the well. "So, Little Sister has finally returned! Big Brother was certain you'd never come back. But Jakotsu kept the faith," Renkotsu reported as he and Ginkotsu came to a halt only a few meters from the well. "So, how did you do on your test?"

Kagome squared her shoulders and faced Renkotsu head on. "Before I tell you, there's a certain item you'd better be handing over to me right now!" Renkotsu kept his oval face perfectly blank. "You know, that little pink plastic thing with the red button, the flint, the fluid, and it makes fires really fast!" Kagome pressed on in annoyance.

Renkotsu's face darkened, then he produced the lighter from his pocket and handed it to Kagome. "Doesn't matter; I made one for myself anyway," he grumbled.

"Oh, no, now Little Sister is _really_ mad..." Ginkotsu pointed out.

"I'm not mad at you, Ginkotsu!" Kagome assured him as she leaped onto his platform.

"Grrr..." Inuyasha sulked. "Why're you so friendly with these guys? Each one of them tried to kill you at least once!"

"Well, technically, Jakotsu never tried to kill _me,_ but of course, he tried to kill _you_ a number of times, so, yeah," Kagome pointed out.

"Hmmm...actually, I don't remember trying to kill Kagome either," Suikotsu pointed out. "Actually, I know I tried to kill you, Inuyasha. I think Naraku wanted you dead more than anyone else. I wonder why?"

"Wait a minute! You mean you don't know why Naraku wants me dead?" Inuyasha asked incredulously.

"No! Big Brother has been _very_ secretive about Naraku, and I for one am very alarmed by this!" Renkotsu revealed.

"Oh, Renkotsu, who the hell cared about _why_ Naraku wanted Inuyasha dead? It was just a job! Just like all the other jobs we'd ever done!" Suikotsu dismissed him.

"You know, Suikotsu, I hope like hell that your attitude comes back to bite you in the ass!" Renkotsu spat.

"And how is that supposed to happen?" Suikotsu scoffed.

"How the hell should I know?" Renkotsu frowned.

"Little Sister, have you brought Renkotsu his paper books? I think he needs to write down his innermost feelings..." Suikotsu asked.

"Nah," said Jakotsu, returning with Bankotsu, "I still think he needs to get laid."

Before Renkotsu could even come back with an answer, Inuyasha sniffed, "As if anyone would want some dead body near her..."

"You know, I'm not even going to bother answering that one back, that was so dumb," Bankotsu yelled. Kagome could see in his deep blue eyes that pain was consuming him. Oh, how was she supposed to leave him alone to go back to her modern era?

"That's it, Inuyasha! Sit, Boy!" Kagome ordered him. Her Shichinintai brothers all gaped as they saw Inuyasha pitched face first into the ground. "I can't believe that you're acting like such a jerk! I'd love to see how you'd deal with getting _BEHEADED!"_

"Kagome, they're a bunch of _KILLERS!_ They got what they deserved!" Inuyasha yelled back.

"How would you like it if someone made you watch as Miroku, Sango, Shippo and I had to cut our stomachs open, then get beheaded so that we wouldn't feel the pain of our insides falling out? You think you're so much better than they are? Well, if you are, then you'd try to understand a lot more than you do now! If you're so much better a person than Bankotsu is, then start acting like it!" Kagome screamed, as only she could.

"Kagome, wait!" Inuyasha cried as Kagome headed to the well again.

"No! I need to get away from you for a while! And if you even think of following me through the well, I swear I'll 'Sit' you straight through to New York City!" Kagome sobbed as she leaped down into the well one more time.

"Nice going!" Jakotsu groused.

"Gessh! You made Kagome go away again! You made our Little Sister cry!" Ginkotsu roared, pointing a cannon straight at Inuyasha.

_"Ginkotsu, stand down!"_ Bankotsu ordered him. "I mean it, Ginkotsu!"

Ginkotsu pulled the cannon back up, and whatever was left of his body was trembling with rage and fear. Rage at Inuyasha, and fear of Bankotsu, whose eyes were now deep blue fires within his skull.

"Don't go back in there to get her. I know you can. Just don't do it!" Bankotsu ordered Inuyasha.

"Hmph, I'm not going in there after her, not in the mood she's in!" Inuyasha retorted.

Suddenly, Miroku and Sango were running to the well. "Inuyasha, what was going on just now? Was Kagome here?" Sango asked.

"Gessh, she left again and it's all his fault!" Ginkotsu huffed.

"Um, this wasn't about Kikyo again, was it?" Sango asked very quietly. "I mean, you look like you've been 'Sat' again."

"Hrrmph! No, it wasn't about Kikyo again!" Inuyasha countered. "Don't worry, she'll be back, she can't stay away."

Shippo looked as sad as Ginkotsu did. But Jakotsu picked up one of Kagome's bags and brought it to the little fox. "Kagome brought these for you." Shippo just started to cry. "Yeah," Jakotsu frowned, "I know just how you feel. She's...I bet she's like your mama, isn't she?"

Shippo just sniffled, then said, "Now, we won't even be here if she gets back! She'll think we abandoned her!"

"What do you mean? Where are you going?" Bankotsu asked.

"With your permission, I need to go to my old master, Mushin. I have gotten word that he's near death, and I ask that I be allowed to be at his side when he goes into the next world," Miroku explained.

"On one condition, that you take Inuyasha with you. If Kagome comes back through the well, I'll let her know where you have gone," Bankotsu said simply.

And with that, Inuyasha and his friends all left soon afterwards, to be with Master Mushin. They left the Shichinintai behind, to await Kagome if she returns, or to keep themselves away from Naraku as much as possible.

Of course, it also left Suikotsu to wonder what Sango was talking about with Inuyasha about Kikyo...

Much later, Bankotsu sat beside the well, alone. He was thankful that he was alone this time, as he just wanted his own company. Inuyasha was right. What woman in her right mind would wish to lie with a corpse like him? Still though, Bankotsu was very sad that he hadn't even gotten a chance to say hello to Kagome. He peered in the well, and to his surprise, he saw a blue light ascending. He backed away, and watched as Kagome emerged from the well. "Kagome! I'm so glad you came back. Everyone was so upset after you left. Jakotsu wanted to thank you for those perfume bottles. He dumped all the perfume out though; so the place must still smell from them, but the sparkles and all that, he really was happy. Oh, and Suikotsu wanted to thank you for his surgery stuff. Those things are really new and shiny, and Renkotsu has already started using those pens with the caps on them in those writing books. He hopes that he gave you enough money, he hadn't expected you to bring so many back..."

"I'm glad they're happy, but there was something that I didn't get the chance to give, so that's why I came back. This is for you..." Kagome told him, handing him a box.

"But, I didn't ask for anything," Bankotsu frowned.

"So what? I saw it, and thought it was the perfect thing to get for you," Kagome said, taking the box from him and opening it. She pulled out the styrofoam stuffing, and unwrapped the item from it's plastic bag. "It's called a digital camera. Let me show you how to use it."

For the next hour, Kagome and Bankotsu messed around with it. During that time, he got her caught up properly on what was going on with Miroku, and that no one was in persuit of jewel shards for the time being. He finally took his first picture, of her, by the end of the hour. "There. Now, I'll have something to look at to remind me of you when you're gone. This was perfect! How can I ever thank you?" Bankotsu asked.

"Just one thing, to help me remember you until I come back again," Kagome said. She came closer to him, and Bankotsu knew what she was asking for. For one second, he considered denying the request, but then he realized that he didn't want to, so he leaned in and met her lips halfway. It was a sweet kiss, or at least, it had started out that way, until he pulled her close into his arms and deepened the kiss. For a few blissful seconds, he forgot everything that was wrong in his life. But when it suddenly crashed back into his mind, he let Kagome go, and bowed his head. She squeezed his hand, then went back into the well and left him.

Meanwhile, not far away, another small group was traveling near the safety cave. The leader of this group sniffed the air, and the wind very gently blew his silver hair.

"My lord? Have you found something?" a small imp with a two-headed staff squeaked.

"Very interesting. I smell them, those corpses. But I also smell Kagome and some of her freinds. They were here, not long ago. A few days, at most." Sesshomaru, the demon Prince of the Western Lands gave his forensic analysis flatly. "They all left the Mt. Hakurei area, even the wolf demons. There must be a reason." And with that, Sesshomaru abruptly walked away. His entourage, the little human girl Rin and the two-headed demon Aun followed.

"Wait my lord! I'm coming!" Jaken the imp cried, stumbling behind them. After they left the cave, Sesshomaru lifted his head to the sky and sniffed again. "My lord? Do you smell the boy, Kohaku?"

"No. But I want to know why they all left."

"What about Inuyasha?" Jaken asked.

"He wasn't here. Even more curious... I shall seek out my brother, and find out again if he knows anything about those specters, or Naraku..." Sesshomaru explained. He pointed his nose south, and drifted in that direction.

_NOTE: What will happen when Sessh meets up with our dear Banks? Stay tuned!_


	19. Tokijin vs Banryu

Little Sister

Chapter 19: Tokijin vs Banryu

"Oh, Lord Sesshomaru, what a pretty little village!" the young Rin gasped from her perch on Aun's back.

"Silly child, we haven't come here pecause it's pretty! It's because Lord Sesshomaru has tracked the scents of our enemies!" Jaken scoffed. But even as he looked down on the valley, at the rice crops, the shrine, and the tiny gathering of buildings between them, the unpleasant imp steward had to admit the place had a certain appeal. Especially since it was nowhere near a sacred barrier.

"What is that odd smell? I think it's some sort of scenting that humans use to try and cover up their stench," Sesshomaru remarked.

"Oh, it's perfume!" Rin added. "But who's wearing perfume?"

"No one. It was dumped on the ground. It's nearly overwhelming..." Sesshomaru admitted as he, in an uncharacteristic show of weakness, covered his sensitive dog-demon nose.

"Who would be so stupid?" Jaken asked.

"It must be those walking corpses. They must be near. They must be trying to hide their scent."

"Who are you? Oh, wait, I know who you are! You're Inuyasha's older brother, aren't you? The one who killed Mukotsu?" a claw-bearing, fierce creature of a man growled from the depths of a huge tree that shaded a dried-out well. "You!" he growled at Jaken, "take that child and get her out of here, unless you want her killed in the fight!"

"How dare you order me around, you insignificant human!" Jaken gasped.

"Take Rin and Aun away. Guard her," Sesshomaru ordered Jaken. Now, Jaken stammered and kowtowed, leading Aun with Rin to the woods.

Jakotsu popped out from behind a bush, right before Jaken. "Not here! Over there!" he told the imp, pointing with Jakotsuto towards another clump of trees. Jaken grunted, but led Aun to this new place, only to find Renkotsu and Ginkotsu positioned there.

"You needn't worry; Naraku never gave us orders to kill the child, or you. So, unless you get annoying, we'll let you leave here unharmed," Renkotsu told Jaken and Rin.

"No, Renkotsu, the child will _not_ be harmed. Period." Suikotsu leaped down from the tree. "No more killing children; I won't let it happen!"

"Oh, turning over a new leaf, Suikotsu? I thought the doctor was out," Renkotsu snipped.

"I mean it, Brother Renkotsu!"

"Very well, don't get your pants in a twist! Get her out of here, Imp!"

Once he could smell Jaken and Rin far enough away, Sesshomaru commented, "Letting the child go is an odd play for you. I would have thought you would have used her against me as a weakness."

"You have killed our brother Mukotsu. That is our only true grudge against you, even though Naraku also ordered us to slay you," Bankotsu told Sesshomaru, emerging from the forest with Banryu on his shoulder. "However, you were...an afterthought. Naraku was far more interested in Koga and Inuyasha."

Sesshomaru simply shrugged one shoulder. "That was his mistake."

"Big Brother, he carries two long swords, but not a short one," Jakotsu observed.

"Well, you don't carry a short sword either. What does that have to do with anything?" Bankotsu snapped.

"I don't need a short sword with Jakotsuto! Do you need a short sword with Banryu?" Jakotsu asked him.

"No, I don't! So, what's your point?" Bankotsu frowned.

"We'll see if he can handle both of those swords," Jakotsu answered as he drew his sword.

"You are a human, therefore, you are already unworthy of me. However, if you wish to spar with me, I'm more than glad to grant your wish." Sesshomaru drew Tokijin.

Jakotsu smiled, watched as Sesshomaru raised the demon sword, then said, "Interesting. You carry two swords, yet you only have one arm. That already puts you at a great disadvantage, even if you are a demon." He charged Sesshomaru, rather that releasing the serpent blades. Sesshomaru dodged the first blow, and the clash began.

Nervously, everyone watched. Jakotsu never did release Jakotsuto. Sesshomaru had a slight grin on his face as he and Jakotsu slashed and parried. Jakotsu even laughed at one point. But Bankotsu was nervous, since he beleived that Sesshomaru was toying with his brother. Very soon, that sword he had would be released, and Jakotsu would be brought down. He couldn't let that happen, but he knew he'd have to wait until the exact moment.

And soon, that moment arrived, Sesshomaru managed to shove Jakotsu far enough away so that he'd have room to use that demonic power of the sword he carried. "Jakotsu! Get out of there!" Bankotsu now began swirling Banryu in his hand, generating that power he had within, and was able to block Sesshomaru's green blast with his own red one.

Jakotsu relucantly pulled back, and Sesshomaru smirked. "Ah, so you were able to sense the power of Tokijin! Interesting, human, that you were able to do so."

"Naraku didn't bring us back from the dead for no reason. I've killed more than my share of demons, in fact, very soon, my Banryu shall attain its full power, once I've killed my _thousandth one!"_ Bankotsu snarled, bringing Banryu down on Sesshomaru. Because Sesshomaru's body strength was stronger, however, he was able to block the attack. Bankotsu fell back, but managed to flip back to his feet before Sesshomaru was able to deliver a final blow.

"Pathetic human! Your brother died by this sword, and so will you!" Sesshomaru growled, then drove Tokijin down. Bankotsu managed to roll away, and Sesshomaru left Tokijin in the ground, resorting to his poison claws on his one good hand. He slashed Bankotsu across his abdomen.

Dismay crossed Sesshomaru's usually expressionless face. A scratch from his poison claws, in his experience with these corpses, usually wasn't enough to bring them down. Even that one brother he attacked before, who was weaker than this one, had not fallen from the poison claws like a normal human would. Instead then, he produced his energy whip attack, and tried cracking it across Bankotsu's body.

"How strange that the superior brother should have the inferior sword! This Tokijin of yours is no Tetsusaiga!" Bankotsu scoffed as he grabbed Banryu back. He swirled his beloved halberd again over his head, then released the lightning attack. Streaks of lightning surrounded them, and the thunder rumbling over their heads almost covered up the sound of buzzing insects approaching.

"Saimyosho..." Renkotsu breathed. This meant Naraku had found them! Surely, Big Brother was in trouble now! But wait...what are they watching? They are watching a clash between Bankotsu and _Sesshomaru!_ What great timing! "Ginkotsu, start shooting. I don't care what you shoot, just start!" Ginkotsu began blasting the place with his cannon fire. "Suikotsu! Get out there to help Big Brother!" Renkotsu ordered. Even though it didn't look like he could be much help, Suikotsu followed the order.

By that time, Sesshomaru noticed Naraku's Hell Insects as well. Suddenly, he wasn't at all interested in his undead human foes. He grabbed Tokijin and dashed after the insects. Bankotsu had to blink at how abruptly Sesshomaru left. Suikotsu watched as Aun, the two-headed demon, carried the girl and the imp away to safety as well. "Big Brother, do you think we gave the Saimyosho enough of a show?" Renkotsu asked breathlessly.

Bankotsu heaved Banryu back onto his shoulder. "Yeah, I think so. Good work, brothers! I think we might just have bought ourselves some time."

"Naraku will have seen what those insects have seen, and no doubt report it. Unless Sesshomaru destroys the insects first. No wait a minute! Sesshomaru will follow those insects! What if he follows them all the way back to Mount Hakurei?" Renkotsu wondered aloud.

"Naraku isn't stupid enough to let them be followed all the way back there. Frankly, I don't know what he's up to. So what if he does have them report back to him personally? I actually don't think that's the case; I think he uses the Saimyosho as 'eyes' for that magical mirror that Kanna the albino child carries with her. They found us, fighting Sesshomaru. She shows him the fight through the mirror, and he's happy. We're doing what we're supposed to be doing. End of story."

"I hope you're right," Renkotsu sighed.

"Quit being so paranoid!" Bankotsu admonished his brother.

"So, that's Sesshomaru...Hmph! I don't like him!" Suikotsu grumbled.

"You don't like anybody! I actually think he's rather sexy," Jakotsu smiled.

"Don't make me vomit!" Renkotsu warned him.

"Oh, I know what's bothering you. It's Hair Envy! He's got lots of long silver hair, and you have...no hair," Jakotsu pointed out.

"Hey, wait a minute! I thought you didn't like long hair like that!" Bankotsu frowned, pulling on his own braid unconsciously.

"Well, on him, I think it's appealing...You know, I just can't make up my mind," Jakotsu sighed.

"Well, how can you make up your mind _when you don't have any mind to make up?"_ Renkotsu seethed.

Jakotsu completely ignored that comment, and instead looked at Bankotsu's armor. "Wow, you really got slashed there! Are you sure you'll be alright?"

"Oh, yeah, sure! Just a scratch! Okay, brothers! Let's get back to our camp!" Bankotsu told them.

But Jakotsu was right to be concerned. Three days later, Bankotsu was in Kaede's hut, shivering and delirious. Suikotsu quizzed Kaede over and over again about what sort of antidote Kagome had used to help for demon poison. All the elder priestess knew was that it was something very common place in Kagome's time, but impossible to find in this one. She had tried administering some herbs that the half-demon Jinenji had given them a long time back, but it had small effect. Whatever this wonder drug was, it came in a small white pill. That was all she knew.

"The only other person who can get Kagome back here would be Inuyasha," Kaede told Suikotsu.

"Yes, but they had a big falling out last time she was here, and, even if they hadn't, I can't be sure that Inuyasha would put his feelings of enmity aside in order to get Kagome back here with this antidote!" Suikotsu reported miserably.

"Well, it's worth a shot anyway. Where's this Master Mushin, priestess?" Renkotsu asked her.

"Miroku's master lives in a temple about two days east of here. He's easy enough to find along the main road," Kaede told him.

"Two days there, and two days back, and that's _if_ Inuyasha agrees to get Kagome...Bankotsu's not going to survive that long!" Suikotsu predicted. Renkotsu looked grave, but Jakotsu watched his eyes. He hadn't left Bankotsu's side since he first fainted last night.

_"Ban-chan. I won't let you die, I promise you. Not like this,"_ Jakotsu cried softly in Bankotsu's ear. _I won't let Renkotsu be our leader!_ Very quietly, Jakotsu slithered out of Kaede's hut. He watched as Renkotsu dashed out soon afterwards, presumably to take Ginkotsu to this Master Mushin's temple. Well, even if Renkotsu was the most trustworthy man on earth, Jakotsu know his efforts were in vain.

With determination, Jakotsu headed for the God Tree, and the Bone-Eaters' Well. At the edge of the well, where he and his beloved brother had recently indulged in long chats about life and love, Jakotsu knelt down and peered into the well's depths. "Little Sister, Bankotsu, whom you love, needs you now. Lots of people, especially people I know, don't beleive in love anymore, but I do. And I know you do. So, maybe, if love can truly conquer all, I can somehow reach you, from across the years, so that you might know that Bankotsu is desperate, and you are the only one who can save him." He waited a few minutes. Kagome did not reappear. As if she would. How could he tell her? A note? That would be something, except it probably would deteriorate, even if he could write. "No, no! That won't work! I...I have to get my Little Sister. Please, let me get her," Jakotsu breathed. He couldn't beleive he was stepping into the well, he didn't beleive that he was climbing down.

He only beleived it when the blue light surrounded him, and he was floating in space.

_NOTE: Sorry if I was a bit slow with this update! I hope I got the location of Master Mushin's temple right, I just don't remember. Anyway, luv from the Banks! _


	20. There to the Future and Not Back Again

Little Sister

Chapter 20: There to the Future and Not Back Again

Jakotsu emerged from the well into a dark wooden building. He took a breath. The air smelled odd, with something foreign to his nose. Well, this was five hundred years into the future, wasn't it? Probably the air wasn't the same anymore. Jakotsu leaped out onto the dirt floor. He saw a staircase that led up to a pair of wooden doors. He was about to climb up those stairs and go out the door when an old man slid them open, letting bright sunlight flood the place and shine down onto the strangest looking person he'd seen in some time.

"Oh, my! How did you find your way in here, I thought I'd locked it!" the old man grumbled, putting down a large bowl.

"Higurashi?" Jakotsu asked.

"Eh? What's this?" the old man asked in response.

"Is Kagome here?" Jakotsu asked very slowly. It seemed obvious to him that this man was somewhat daft.

"Kagome? Oh, you...came from there?" the man, who, now that Jakotsu thought of it, looked like a Shinto preist, pointed at the well.

"Yes. I must find my little sister. Her Big Brother is in a grave state, and she has medicine that can help him! Where is she?" Jakotsu demanded.

"She has no older brother...oh! You must be one of those people Kagome told me about. I'm her grandfather, and she told us all about you people over dinner when she first came back. Yes, well, my goodness! I didn't know that anyone from those times except Inuyasha could come here! Well, she's in school!"

"When will she be back home? I must have her come with me to my brother Bankotsu's side!"

"Bankotsu, eh? Like Mukotsu? And which one are you, now?"

"I am Jakotsu of the Shichinintai! And what do you know of Mukotsu; he's dead!"

"Twice-dead, from what I understand! Married my granddaughter, I heard! Well, you don't look much like the marrying type, if I do say so myself," Grandpa commented.

"If I did not risk angering Kagome, well, never mind! When will she be home?"

"Oh, it's not even quite lunchtime! She won't be home for another three or four hours, at least!" Grandpa reported.

"Oh, no!" Jakotsu pictured Bankotsu convulsing back in his times, sweat beading at his brow, his pale face wrenched in agony as he slowly and painfully dies... "I can't wait that long..."

* * *

A group of black-clad boys entered the school cafeteria. "Hey, Toshiro? Did anyone ever tell you why fags walk like this?" The youth began walking a few quick swishy steps with his hands at his hips, palms down, flexed. 

"Kazu?" Hojo Toshiro groaned. "Fine, no. Why do fags walk like that?"

"Because there's no room for them to walk like this..." Eveybody started laughing as he skipped along, swaying his arms back and forth, finally slamming them right into Kagome Higurashi, who was just coming into the cafeteria with books piled high in her arms. They splayed everywhere, and Toshiro limped to Kagome's side.

"Kazu, watch what you're doing! Higurashi, are you alright? Has he dislocated your hip?" he asked frantically.

"Oh, no, I'm fine. Thanks with my books, Hojo," she answered.

"Sit next to me, and we can go over that history chapter," Hojo suggested. Kagome accepted his offer with a smile. They just stayed on the lunch line long enough for him to buy some chocolate milk, then all sat in one big group at the table.

Sure enough, right in the middle of chapter 17, Kagome's cell phone rang. She glanced at it and saw it was home. She quickly answered. "Hi, what's going on?" Kagome asked.

"Kagome, your friend Jakotsu came through the well a little while ago. Um..._he_ said that he needed to see you, it was a matter of life and death," Grandpa told her.

Kagome's heart started pounding. _Jakotsu, here?_ How did he get through the well? And what did he want with her? Was someone in trouble? "Where is he, Grandpa?"

"I think he's on his way to the school. I tried to tell him how to get there, but he said he's an excellent tracker and that he'd find you on his own. You'd better try to meet him outside your school, Kagome. Do you know he told me that my sacred Urn of Winds was really a daimyo's chamber pot? Hmph! What does he know of holy relics?"

"Thanks Grandpa, I will! Bye!" she said quickly, then snapped her phone shut. _Oh, shit!_ "Hojo, I have to, uh, excuse my self..." Kagome then quickly fled the cafeteria with a hall pass. She had to find Jakotsu outside the school...

However, Jakotsu was already at the school. He'd surveyed the building, and had peeked inside most of the smaller "classrooms," but had found no sign of Kagome. Then, he'd overheard some girls talking about eating lunch. So, he tracked the area of the "cafeteria." Outside, he could barely see in, and even if he could, there were hundreds of students in there. He needed a better vantage point.

And so, Jakotsu opened the window to the cafeteria and slithered inside.

With his predatory eyes, he scanned the crowded room. Hundreds of students were laughing, talking, or getting up to leave, since apparently, most of them were done eating. Jakotsu wrinkled his nose slightly; the smell of the leftover food was not very appealing. A few nearby student noticed him crouched on the large windowsill above them. When one of them pointed and gasped, "Hey, look at that!" he leaped onto that tabletop, sword in hand.

This set that table's residents into a tizzy. Jakotsu brushed aside food trays that were in his way, sending them clattering to the floor. From his new vantage point, he could see Kagome was not in the cafeteria after all. Pursing his red lips, he considered leaving. But then, he eyed an absolutely beautiful young man among the food trays and uniformed boys toward the middle of the table. How he'd love to bite that boy's ears off, Jakotsu thought hungrily as he sunk down and crawled as gracefully as possible to this vision of young male perfection.

Suddenly, Toshiro saw a pair of deep black eyes peering into his. His heart started to pound. He'd never _seen_ anyone who dared to look like this person looked. "Where have you been all my life?" this strange person asked in a husky, feminine voice. He touched Toshiro's trembling cheek.

"Wh...what do you want with me?" the young man asked very softly.

"Hojo, I'm calling the police on the cell!" one of the other students stammered. Toshiro's captor frowned.

"A moment, lovely Hojo," he said serenely, then whirled around to Kazu. "Put that down, right now, or your asshole and this..." he said, snapping out a ten inch long wicked dagger from his kimono sleeve, "are going to get intimately acquainted!" Kazu yelped and slid his chair back fearfully. "And if I see you touch that thing again, I'll also gouge out your eyes!" The lithe man pressed forward slightly with the blade five inches from the terrified Kazu's eyes. The place grew so quiet that only the stream of urine coming from his loss of control could be heard splashing on the cafeteria floor.

"No, please, don't do that!" Toshiro exclaimed as he reached over and grabbed his dagger hand.

This mysterious creature glanced down at Toshiro's hand on his wrist, and smiled. "Indeed, you're right. I have no more need to amuse myself with him when I have you. Hojo, the apothocary's son?" he questioned as he leaned down and took Toshiro's chin into his free hand.

"How did you know that?" Toshiro asked with barely a breath.

"There are so many things I know, my beauty, and I can teach them to you..." he answered mysteriously.

"Please, wh...who are you?" Toshiro asked, dazed.

"I am Jakotsu. And you, Hojo, are mine," he proclaimed in a serene voice. Then, he bent over Toshiro's lips and kissed him. For reasons he did not understand, Toshiro was unable to resist his lips at all. And since he didn't resist, Jakotsu slid his tongue inside and deepened the kiss.

For Jakotsu, there was no world beyond this moment. Just this sensation of his tongue sliding over Hojo's, the slight flavor in his mouth from his recent lunch, something sweet...

Like chocolate!

A laugh was growing in the back of Jakotsu's throat, so he broke the kiss and let it out, soft and triumphant. "It's you! The one I've been waiting for!" He slithered down into Hojo's lap, straddling the young man, staring deeply into those pools of light and darkness once again.

Jakotsu stowed his blade away, back up his sleeve, and drew down on Hojo, keeping his eyes locked with him. Toshiro's world became a tunnel. He could hear nothing, see nothing, except this strange man. Why was he not fighting him? Maybe because he'd kill him if he didn't let Jakotsu do what he wanted? Yeah, maybe that was it... Only, why was he _responding?_ Toshiro wanted to scream or something, especially when those black eyes glinted, somehow _knowing_ that Toshiro was responding. Jakotsu's laughter erupted once again, louder this time, echoing off the cafeteria walls.

"Yes, all mine...as I am yours!" Jakotsu kissed Hojo again, and it was in this position that Kagome finally found him. Her gasp cut through the silence. Jakotsu knew it was his little sister. "Sorry, Kags, but believe me when I tell you, it never would have worked," he said with a serene grin and a wink at his beautiful Hojo.

Kagome began to stammer. "What are you doing to him? Who...who are you? I don't know you, I don't know him, and I don't know who Kagome is. Hah," she claimed in slight hysteria.

Suddenly, a teacher finally sprang to life. Probably because of the group of frantic looking men with small white hats on their heads with whistles and blue shirts and guns were filling the cafeteria. Students began to scream and scramble to leave. Jakotsu knew his moment with his newly found beloved was over, for the time being. With one last eye-locked stare, he said "This is not over, my lovely Hojo."

The police closed in around the table with that strangely feminine, lithe man with paint on his face and a long flowing kimono. But Jakotsu was much too quick for them, especially since the pointed guns were for show, he knew. They would not wish to shoot him among the students. He stood up on the table, watched the hands with the guns around him, and laughed again, louder than ever. Then, he leaped out the open window, vanishing even as the police scurried to the window to look outside, hoping to find that mysterious terrorist...

Toshiro was out of his chair in an instant. He dashed as fast as he could manage with his bad ankle to the window, but the police pulled him back. They didn't want him to get in the crossfire, and besides, they needed to question him quite thoroughly.

* * *

For the next few hours, Toshiro's life was a nightmare that he imagined he'd never awaken from. His friends were all over him, saddened for him, trying to tell him that it wasn't his fault, that he'd been practically _raped_ by that freak. 

Except, to Toshiro, that person, Jakotsu, wasn't a freak. And he hadn't been practically _raped_ at all. Why didn't anyone understand that he just wanted to be left alone?

Eventually, he managed to extricate himself from the police, claiming he needed to use the restroom. Like everyone since time immemorial used the excuse to get away from situations that were just too heavy, Toshiro sealed himself in the boy's room and broke down into sobs.

No, that Jakotsu hadn't raped him. He'd _awakened_ him. That man had given him a glimpse into a world that he hadn't known existed, but now, it seemed like he should have. Jakotsu was like some sort of odd spirit, out of his realm, walking among ordinary people, and he'd picked _Toshiro_ to be his. When Jakotsu had touched him, even just on the cheek, his heart had started to pound. The dark eyes with that glint of loving malice _excited_ him, even while it devastated him.

But Jakotsu was gone! _"This is not over, my lovely Hojo."_

No, it can't be over! He had to find Jakotsu, somehow. He had to tell that enigma, that wondrous creature, just exactly what he'd done! Sunlight streamed through the boy's bathroom window. Of course! Without a second thought, Toshiro opened the window and heroically crawled out, despite his ankle, which seemed like every different pin was explosive. As he stood on the windowsill, though, his heart sank. Where could Jakotsu be?

_"Sorry, Kags..."_

Kagome? Did Kagome _know_ Jakotsu? He had to find him! So, with a deep breath, he set out on his mission; getting to Kagome's house without the police scooping him back up...

_NOTE: Yes, only one of you guys had guessed who Ja's new love was supposed to be! Surprised? Bwah, ha ha! You ain't seen nothin' yet!_


	21. Perfect, But Impossible

Little Sister

Chapter 21: Perfect, but Impossible

Kagome did not dare stay in school. She knew she had to find Jakotsu and get him back through that well ASAP. In all the confusion, she managed to slip out before they put the entire school under lockdown, which was very fortunate. No one would be chasing her around unless she was connected to Jakotsu by one of her friends, or poor Toshiro! And here she had been hoping she could keep Mukotsu away by hanging out with Toshiro. He certainly was more appealing that her late husband! But now, thanks to Jakotsu's warped libido, that was shot all to hell...

Well, at least she had one big advantage over the police; she could track Jakotsu by his jewel shard. She noticed he had backtacked. Great, maybe he went back home. Could he possibly be thinking of making her life just a tiny bit easier? Sure, there he was, looking to leave the well shrine again.

"I _can't believe_ you did this! You are soooo in trouble now, Jakotsu!" Kagome hissed as she pushed him back into the shrine gates.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me that Hojo the Apothocary's son was so _hot!_ And here you were letting me think he'd be a dreadful bore! Why didn't you mention that he was _perfect?_ Gah! Why does everyone make my life so difficult? Oh, Kagome, this boy..." Jakotsu closed his eyes, as if remembering his very first taste of a favorite dish. "Well, like I said, it's just as well that you dumped him, little sister."

"What do you mean by that? You were molesting poor Hojo right in front of the entire sixth-period lunch!" Kagome fumed.

Jakotsu laughed. "Are you _kidding?_ A few more minutes and I could have had him right on top of the table!"

Kagome's face was so red, she could barely move her mouth. But she managed to eke out, "You mean, Hojo was..."

"Kags, let's just say this; there's no mistaking it. And let me tell you something else, I was _quite_ impressed! Pick your jaw up off the floor, little sister!" Jakotsu teased her. "You snooze, you lose. He's mine now. How am I supposed to let him go now that I've found him? Oh, I'll just take him back with me!"

"Jakotsu, you can't do that! First of all, he might not even be able to get through the well! I still don't know how you did it! And even if you could drag him back to the fuedal era, you'd be doing somethimg wrong! Because Hojo is too young for you!" Kagome stammered.

"What the hell are you talking about? I can take him whenever I wish!" Jakotsu sniffed.

"No, not here. In these times, there are laws... They keep people from having sex with people that are too young to handle it," Kagome warned him.

"What do I care about these laws? They don't affect me!" he shrugged. "And let me tell you, Hojo is more than ready for me!" he added with a wink.

Kagome fumed as she led Jakotsu to the well shrine. In the darkness, she left him by the staircase. "Why don't you tell me what was so important that you had to cause a terrorist attack in my school!"

"Please, don't be angry with me; I had to come and get you, because Bankotsu is very ill. He needs that medicine that you use for demon poisons; he'd had a run-in with Sesshomaru..." Jakotsu began.

"...And he'd used his poison claws! Say no more, I know what he needs! I hope there's some left in my medicine cabinet! Stay here, I'll go get it!" Kagome gasped, scurrying back out the doors.

Jakotsu was silent as Kagome left. His newly rediscovered heart was already on the verge of breaking. How would he ever get back here by himself? Oh, this was no good. He'd never see Hojo again!

"Hello? Kagome?" Jakotsu heard someone call suddenly. He held his breath. Could it possibly be? Jakotsu dashed up to the doorway, cracked it open. Yes! It was _him!_

"Psst! In here!" he whispered loudly. Hojo stopped in his tracks when he saw Jakotsu. His heart began to pound again. He didn't understand how this could have happened, but Toshiro couldn't seem to keep himself together when he looked at Jakotsu. At first, he didn't want to move. He was suddenly afraid of losing himself completely. His hands began to shake, so he clenched them. Rather than run away, Toshiro walked as steadily as he could toward Jakotsu, who held his hand up, bekoning.

Toshiro frowned deeply as he entered the dark well shrine. Jakotsu, at least, didn't look quite so cocky as he had before. Toshiro was nearly overwhelmed by the tide of things he wanted to say, things he wanted to shout, at Jakotsu. _How could you do this to me? How could you kill me like this? I was one person this morning, and now I'm someone else, and it's all your doing? How could you be so calm about this?_ But these words never found their way out of Toshiro's throat. He seethed for a few seconds, staring at Jakotsu, this wondrous creature, so alien, yet so familiar. And then, after those few seconds, without any words at all, he lauched himself into Jakotsu's arms.

Their lips found eachother at once. No more thoughts came forth, about what he was doing, or why he was doing it. Just Jakotsu, whoever this person was. Just what he felt when their lips and tongues collided.

Jakotsu could taste salty tears on Hojo's cheeks. "I know, I know, I was fearful that I'd never see you again, too," Jakotsu assured Hojo when he pulled back a bit.

"Please help me understand this. I never knew this was what I'd want, but now I'm desperate to see you," Hojo wept.

Jakotsu had a rare moment, he felt like being tender. Well, he might as well show the love of his life a bit of tenderness, he figured. "I know, lovely Hojo. That's sometimes how it is. You go through your life thinking you are who you are, and then you find out there was another version of yourself being hidden, waiting to blossom, like a flower who has finally found the sunlight after withering in the shade for so long."

"And you are the one who brought the sunlight to me. But what am I going to do now?" Hojo gasped as Jakotsu wiped tears from his cheeks.

With a serene, firm voice, Jakotsu answered, "You need to just say it."

"Say what?"

"You need to say what you are. Even if you only say it to me, at least you'll be saying it," Jakotsu told him.

"I...Oh, you don't understand! Just two hours ago, my friends were making jokes about..." Hojo whispered brokenly, casting his eyes down.

"That was two hours ago. This is now. You can do it, Hojo. Just say it."

"I..." Hojo faltered yet again. Then he glanced into Jakotsu's eyes again. Suddenly, he remembered that feeling he'd had in the cafeteria. That _liberation!_ And then, he found his voice. "I'm gay."

Jakotsu grinned. "Well, I am too, but you do not look overjoyed to me!"

Hojo sunk to his knees onto the dirt floor of the well shrine. "Please, I can't do the word jokes right about now."

"Oh! Do you mean they call people like us 'gay?' How odd!" Jakotsu commented.

"How...could you not know that? Please, if there's something strange about you... Okay, let's rephrase that. Anything that's not immediately apparent, please tell me." Hojo asked fearfully. "I'm so confused!"

"I tend to make light little jokes here and there, just to make things a little less serious, my beautiful Hojo," Jakotsu informed him, joining Hojo on the floor and cupping the young man's face in his palms. "Serious means bad to me. And you and me...this is not bad."

Hojo eagerly met Jakotsu's kiss, felt a thrill jolt through him as he realized he was about to become this enigmatic man's lover. What would he need to do? How do you make love with a man?

Drawn into Jakotsu's arms, he grew more and more aroused. Until he opened his eyes, and saw, of all things, Kagome with a bow and arrow nocked and aimed straight at Jakotsu! He gasped, which instantly brought Jakotsu back to earth. He whirled around and watched Kagome's sacred arrow point at his neck.

"What did I tell you, Jakotsu? Get into the well, now!" Kagome ordered.

"I couldn't help it, Little Sister! _He_ came here of his own free will," Jakotsu told her.

Kagome eyed Hojo. He thought that maybe he should apologize to her. But then again, if she was threatening his liberator in such a manner, he felt he should defend him. So Hojo moved so that his throat, not Jakotsu's, would be in Kagome's line of fire. "He's right, Kagome. I came here with the intention of asking you how to find him. I found him first."

"Hojo, you must move. I do not hide behind you," Jakotsu said quietly. His voice was indeed very serious, and Hojo found it left no questions about who was in charge. He hated to do it, but Hojo inched down and out of the way.

"Kagome, please, don't do this! I needed to come back and see him again. I'm sorry," Hojo stammered.

"No you don't need to be sorry, Toshiro. I'm sorry, because I obviously thought I could trust that none of them would come through the well, and yet, Jakotsu did..." Kagome broke off. How could she trust Hojo with the truth of what she did instead of going to school like any good high-schooler did?

At the same time, Toshiro's cell phone rang. Jakotsu tightened his dark eyes when he heard the sound of the ringtone. Even Toshiro found it jarring just then, and here he had loved this cool new ringtone last week! He silenced it, not caring who might be frantically trying to reach him. And, a roar sounded over the dark shrine. While Kagome and Hojo made no response to it, Jakotsu went to look outside the shrine door. He gasped "Kagome, bring your sacred arrows quickly! A demon flies above us. It's _huge!"_

"Oh, no! That's not a demon!" Kagome winced. Now there was no turning back...

"Jakotsu? That's an airplane... Oh, please tell me you're not crazy? Well, okay, maybe you can be just a little crazy," Toshiro stammered. Then, his cell phone buzzed in his pocket. "Dammit! What do they want?" he growled. Jakotsu watched Toshiro closely as he pushed the little lit-up buttons. Kagome held her breath. Jakotsu kept eyeing the sky, even though the plane was gone, then turned his eyes back on Toshiro.

Finally, Jakotsu announced, "I must take my beloved Hojo Toshiro away from this evil place at once! There are eyes watching us, they are everywhere! I can feel them! They look at you through that _nasty_ contraption!" He pointed at the cell phone.

Toshiro looked up from that nasty contraption and announced, "Kazu just texted me and said he Googled you."

"Huh?"

"You know, my friend. The one who you threatened with your dagger?"

Jakotsu gave Toshiro an even look. "Then you'd better tell your friend to Google me again, because I didn't feel it the first time!"

Toshiro couldn't help it. He dissolved into mad laughter. Even Kagome giggled, finally easing up on her sacred arrow. Once he recovered, Toshiro stammered, "No! My friend looked up information about you on the computer! But here's what I don't understand. He says you are an assassin!"

"I beg your pardon! Not only does he not Google me hard enough to feel it, but he doesn't even do it properly! I'm not an assassin!" Jakotsu told Toshiro vehemently.

"Of course you're not an assassin," Toshiro assured Jakotsu in a very soothing voice.

"I'm a mercenary," Jakotsu clarified. "Assassins kill men, mercenaries kill armies of men," Jakotsu sniffed. Toshiro glanced away. "Toshiro, it is true. I kill people. I can tell, just by looking at you, that you do not. But that's alright, since my brothers kill more than their share anyway and I don't feel like fighting over the leftovers with you."

"Well, wait a minute! If you're a mercenary, where are you and your brothers fighting? Iraq? No wait a minute...this well. What did you mean when you asked Jakotsu how he 'got through the well?' It's just a dried out old well, right?"

"Oh, I don't even know where to begin!" Kagome whined.

"Well, that's alright too. You can go and give this medicine to Big Brother. He'll be so happy to see you! That cam-era thing has provided him with hours of amusement, but he misses you. In the meantime, I shall explain everything to my beloved Toshiro," Jakotsu suggested.

"No! If you think for one second I'm leaving you alone with Toshiro, you'd better just think again!" Kagome growled.

Jakotsu, for his part, finally realized what was scaring Kagome so much about his new relationship with Hojo. "Little sister, I swear it to you, on my own grave that I crawled back out of, that I would never hurt my beloved Hojo!" His hands circled Toshiro's, and they both gazed into eachother's eyes. The only thing that could break the mood was the sirens.

"Oh no! How did they find me?" Toshiro gasped.

"They found you with their eyes!" Jakotsu gasped.

Toshiro felt a chill run down his spine. Jakotsu was right! "The GPS on my cell! Kagome, the police must have tracked me! You need to get Jakotsu away from here; they'll arrest him!"

"NO! How can I leave you now?" Jakotsu cried.

"Ja, you have to get in. Maybe later, we can come back. But we've got to hurry, or we won't be able to save Bankotsu!" Kagome insisted. Toshiro watched in disbelief as Kagome hauled Jakotsu out of his grasp, and made him climb into the dried out well. Suddenly, the air turned a glowing blue color, and Toshiro watched as Jakotsu was getting swallowed up by it. "I promise you, my beloved, I'll come back to you! Wait for me, please!"

"I will, I promise!" Toshiro said sadly as Jakotsu disappeared. Then, he sunk down onto the dirt floor once again, and waited miserably for the police to barge in.

* * *

_I'm striving to keep up my schedule with this story, but I warn you, "Season" in Florida is just about to start, and things get crazy around here. Next chapter, it's back to Bankotsu again, and he's going to be finding out all about his fellow brothers' love lives..._


	22. Graveyard Soil Hands

Little Sister

Chapter 22: Graveyard Soil Hands

Kagome pushed Jakotsu through the well, back into the Feudal Era. She said, "I hope Toshiro can get the police out of there, so I can go back. I don't have any of my stuff with me!"

Jakotsu glanced back at the well. "How can I leave him behind? What if I never see him again? What will we do if we can't be reunited?" he agonized.

"How did you get through the well the first time?" Kagome asked yet again. "You know what? Never mind, I'm sure I'll find out later. Let's see Bankotsu now. He's going to need this antidote for Sesshomaru's poison. How long ago did this happen?"

"Three nights ago, but he only got sick last night. Suikotsu thinks that the jewel shards are keeping him alive longer, but even those weren't going to be enough eventually. Oh, very well, I'll come with you and make sure Bankotsu is healed. Maybe by then, those nasty people who followed my beloved will be away, and I can go find him again. Oh, Kagome, such an evil time you live in! No wonder you come so often to ours! You and my beloved should both leave that terrible place forever, and stay with us. We'll take care of you, as we had sworn to Mukotsu that we would. And Toshiro! He will be the Little Brother, because, he is mine!"

Kagome didn't answer Jakotsu just yet. She'd have to think about whether her era or the Feudal was more evil. She'd seen her share of atrocities and horror since coming here. But, in her own era, there were some real problems too.

As she walked to Kaede's hut, she noticed that none of her friends were back from Master Mushin's yet. And she also noticed Ginkotsu wasn't around either. "Jakotsu, where's everybody?"

"Renkotsu took Ginkotsu to this Master Mushin's temple. I knew it was in vain, because they would never make it back in time. I was desperate. That's how I got through the well. Desperation," he concluded unhappily.

"I don't think that's it, Ja. After all, Shippo tried to get through the well once, and he was desperate to get to me, yet he couldn't get through. And, it's not the jewel shards either, since I've been able to go through without jewel shards on my person at all." Kagome brushed past the door and saw Suikotsu hovering over Bankotsu, who was in as bad a shape as Jakotsu had said. He seemed almost like he was convulsing. Kagome gasped and rushed to Bankotsu's side.

"Little Sister, you've come back! It's a miracle!" Suikotsu exclaimed. "Did you happen to bring any demon poison antidote with you? Bankotsu had been..."

"Jakotsu told me all about it. Thank goodness he was able to get through the well to get to me!" Kagome fumbled with the bottle of white pills. "Suikotsu, you should probably grind this up and put it in some water, so he'll be able to digest it fast. It's going to taste pretty bitter, but three of them should work to start." Suikotsu took the pills with a nod, then set to his task. While he was pulverizing the pills, Kagome examined Bankotsu. His chest was bare except for a large bandage that crossed his chest. Sesshomaru's poison was seeping through it, so the bandage was stained with green as well as blood.

"I'm starting to wonder if the aspirin will be enough..." Kagome thought aloud. Because, of course, that was all the demonic antidote really was. The joke was, in her times, aspirin was so plentiful that surely something as simple as aspirin couldn't possibly be enough to treat Bankotsu, whose wound might be infected as well. Surely he'd need something stronger and more exotic. "Jakotsu, get in here, I need you!" she ordered him.

The lanky brother was inside the hut in a flash. "Kags, is he going to be alright?"

"Jakotsu, I've given Suikotsu the antidote, which he's going to give Bankotsu. But I think he's going to need more. Do you think you can get back to my era? We need Toshiro's help. Remember, his dad runs a drug store, I mean, an apothocary. I need antibiotic. Do you think you can remember that?"

"What's an antibiotic?" Suikotsu asked with interest.

"Well, it's a different medicine than the antidote. That will reduce his fever, and maybe even releive some of his pain, but I think his wound is infected, so we need another drug to kill the bacteria that must have gotten into the wound. Jakotsu, take that pink plastic card and give it to Toshiro. That's got the money on it..."

"Yes! I remember! I'll find my beloved and tell him he needs to get an anti...bi..otic? Right?" Jakotsu asked, just to make sure.

Kagome nodded. "And, if I know Toshiro, he'll probably have a bunch of other supplies he'll want to give you. Just take whatever he gives you and bring it back here, as soon as possible," Kagome ordered. Jakotsu took one last worried look at Bankotsu, then vanished. By that time, Suikotsu had the aspirin dissolved in some water. Kagome let him give it to Bankotsu, since she recalled he was quite good at giving doses of nasty medicines.

Of course, Bankotsu was not exactly an ideal patient. "If you even think of spitting this in my face, Big Brother, you're going to be in a world of trouble!" Suikotsu growled as only he could.

"Yeah, that's what you get for picking fights with Sesshomaru!" Kagome threw in.

"Hey!" Bankotsu whined, incapable of speaking in any other tone, "he came after us!"

"Yeah? Well I'm sure you wanted to avenge Mukotsu, who doesn't deserve your time anymore, so that's what happens. I warned you he's a powerful demon!"

"I'd expect you to have bad feelings toward Mukotsu, Little Sister. But you don't understand. He's been coming around to see me!" Bankotsu told her.

"No doubt because of his delirium," Suikotsu explained quietly.

"I'm not delirious!" Bankotsu protested. "I've seen him!"

"I'll leave you with him for a few moments, Kagome. Maybe you can calm him down." Suikotsu took his leave.

"I _did_ see him!" Bankotsu repeated one more time.

"I know. I have too. Many times, in fact. Do you know anything about a 'Twice-Dead?'" Kagome asked him.

"Yes! That's what he told me too. He was a twice dead person, so he has special powers!" Bankotsu confirmed.

Kagome wasn't happy to hear that Bankotsu had been contacted by Mukotsu. He'd never leave either of them alone! If only he had Toshiro's apparent ability to scare him off! "Damn it," she muttered.

"You know what? He's dead, even if he is Twice-Dead, or whatever. So, he's got no hold or power over me," Bankotsu sighed. His eyes looked heavy.

"Just rest, Bankotsu. I'm here," Kagome assured him. She settled against his shoulder, his nicely muscled shoulder, which was feverishly warm. She looked down past his shoulder to his hand, which she took into hers.

_Imagine, this person is supposed to be dead! Brought back to life by Naraku, of all people. All in all, Naraku seems to have done a great job. If this is what graveyard soil is supposed to feel like, then maybe it's not so bad?_ Kagome's mind was in a turmoil. No one was really aware, except maybe Mukotsu and Jakotsu, that Kagome and Bankotsu had fallen for eachother. What would everyone think? Especially Inuyasha?

Kikyo glided into the hut and saw Kagome lying next to Bankotsu. Kagome was a bit startled, but Kikyo gave her a glance and said, "Suikotsu thought you might still be in here. I don't suppose it will do any harm to you or to him. He'd been asking after you, whenever he was lucid."

"Really? And what did you think about that?" Kagome asked the preistess.

"Kagome, beleive it or not, I know why you're asking me this, and I understand. You feel something is missing in you. It's because of what Urasue did to us."

Kagome shuddered. Urasue was the demon witch who had reconstructed a body for Kikyo using her ashes, and then tried to steal the soul in Kagome's body to put it back into Kikyo's so that she'd do her bidding. The plot failed, but Kagome and Kikyo were both left fractured from the experience. Kikyo needed the souls of the newly dead to sustain life in her ash and soil body. Kagome knew Kikyo was right, that part of her soul was gone, in Kikyo's body now. This was not the natural order of things, but Kagome being in this era altogether wasn't part of the natural order of things either.

"Kikyo, do you have any ideas of how the Shichinintai can survive without jewel shards?" Kagome asked.

"Suikotsu has been asking me nearly non-stop! I have some theories, but they are all useless to these men. I think they shall have to suffice by keeping people like us near, so we can purify their shards when they need it," Kikyo said.

"You don't mind being around Suikotsu all the time, do you? You like him, don't you?" Kagome pushed rashly.

_"You_ like him. I..." Kikyo stopped. Then, she began again, "It's what is missing to you in our soul that enables you to only _like_ him, while it's what is missing to me in our soul that keeps me from liking him. What I feel for him is not _like,_ I don't _like_ Suikotsu..."

"No, you love him... Of all the damned things..." This was from Bankotsu, who was awake, somewhat anyway, the whole time.

"You feel Suikotsu is in danger from Naraku, don't you?" Kikyo asked the Big Brother.

"Damn right he is...stupid fool can't keep his pants on..." Bankotsu grumbled.

Kagome gasped. She hadn't really thought it had progressed that far, but apparently, Kikyo wasn't protesting, and moreover, wasn't the least bit embarrassed by Bankotsu's comment. "Naraku does not own me. He never did, and he never will. I had tried to have a normal life with Inuyasha, but for many reasons, it wasn't meant to be. If I'm destined to have more with Suikotsu, I don't know at this point, but I do know that neither he nor I will allow Naraku to dictate to us how to live our lives, when they are so precarious to begin with."

Bankotsu looked like he was going to say something, but he stopped. Instead, both he and Kikyo exchanged a look, and to Kagome, it seemed like they were saying to eachother, _I understand you, after all, I died too._ Kagome frowned. As usual, whenever she dealt with Kikyo, she always felt excluded, like she wasn't a member of Kikyo's Club, whether it was the Miko Club, or now, the Un-Dead Club. And Kikyo shared _her_ soul!

But then, Bankotsu took Kagome's hand in his. That graveyard soil hand. But it felt like flesh. It was warm, not dead at all! He was alive, because of Naraku, but that demon could snuff him out whenever he was done with him. Kikyo and Suikotsu were being brave about it, but Bankotsu was worried. Now Kagome was worried too. "Bankotsu, please don't be angry at Suikotsu. He's just trying to find some happiness and some peace while he is alive. Just like Jakotsu. Guess what? He can travel through the well."

"What? How'd he do that?" Bankotsu demanded, trying to sit up, then wincing in pain.

"I'm still trying to get an answer out of him that makes sense. But he found himself a new boyfriend! He's a friend of mine, you know, the one Renkotsu was teasing me about, the one you looked like you wanted to punch out if you ever saw him. Hojo?" Kagome reminded him.

"Jakotsu found his true love in _your_ era? Kagome, that's how he got through the well. It was his destiny!" Bankotsu explained, as if Kagome were not thinking like she should be. "For a miko, you sure don't get magic very well, do you?"

"What do you mean, I don't get magic?" Kagome asked in a louder voice than one usually uses around a sick person.

"She hasn't had enough time to train, Bankotsu. It's not her fault, because she and Inuyasha have been quite busy looking for the shards of the Shikon Jewel, she has had very little spare time to train in the ways of the Priestess with either Kaede or me," Kikyo explained.

"It's okay, Kikyo, you don't have to try and defend me," Kagome sighed.

"Oh, she's too busy learning useless things like Trigonometry to learn about the logic of magic," Bankotsu sniffed.

"The logic of magic? Isn't that an oxymoron?" Kagome asked.

"It is, and yet it isn't. There are rules, but the rules are far different than the mathematics that you learned in your times. It all has to do with intention, and you have been trained in your era that intention doesn't make things happen. But Kagome, it _does._ That is how Naraku brought the Shichinintai back from the dead. The intention, channelled through the Jewel, brought Bankotsu back to life. And then, I'm sure Bankotsu used the same method, intention channelled through the shards, to bring Suikotsu and the rest of them back as well," Kikyo told her.

"You know this. You must, or you wouldn't have been able to bring me back when I pulled my shards out!" Bankotsu said with a bit of incredulity in his voice. He closed his hand tighter over Kagome's, not enough to hurt certainly, but strong enough to keep it in his grasp.

_Wow! Bankotsu believes in my powers!_ she thought with a thrill. "I'm sorry, you are both right. I guess just these two weeks back at school with my friends started making me forget. Now I understand how Jakotsu got into my time. Had he had some sort of a dream or something a long time ago?"

"It was a vision. And he was never going to find his soulmate unless he went to find him, and he happened to be in your time era. That's how magic works. Just like with that crystal I made for Suikotsu. It was my intention to have his mind cleared when he held it in his hand, and so that's what it does. And with Banryu. It's my intention to kill as many people as possible with her, and she does her job. Heh, you haven't even _seen_ Banryu in real action yet..."

"Are you sure you're not still delirious? 'Cause I seem to remember being able to carry Banryu, even though I don't think you _intended_ me to carry her, and yet I did anyway."

"That halberd, you mean? I believe it has some sort of magical possession, actually. Oh, and it's not in the least bit heavy, although Suikotsu seemed to be awestruck that I could carry it, now that you mention it..." Kikyo trailed off. Kagome began to giggle, and even thouh Kikyo didn't join in, since giggling just wasn't a _Kikyo_ thing, she seemed amused.

"Aaahhh! Did you ever drive Inuyasha this crazy?" Bankotsu asked resentfully.

"At least!" Kagome assured him, then giggled even harder at the look in Bankotsu's deep ocean eyes.

* * *

_NOTE: Yeah, kinda short chapter, but I was in the mood for fluffiness today. But I feel an extra chapter coming on...so keep a lookout for it!_


	23. Of Humans and Demons

Little Sister

Chapter 23: Of Humans and Demons

It was dark when Jakotsu climbed out of the well, back into that terrible future time with the eyes that see everyone from above. He could feel the energy from them in waves. He waited, knowing those strange soliders might try to arrest him if they were still here. But it was very quiet, so eventually, he started to emerge from the well shrine. He dared to take a breath when he saw no sign of any people from between the grating on the sliding doors. He saw lights on in the house that surely was Kagome's. His first impulse was to go and ask the Higurashis if they knew where his beloved lived, but then he thought better of it. They might be angry with him for bringing soldiers into their shrine.

Besides, his beloved would be easy to track; he had a limp, the poor thing...

* * *

Toshiro barely ate anything for dinner. He was convinced he'd never see Jakotsu again. This loss hurt him. He never thought losing his mind would be so painful. No one had hinted that it was excruciating, they always made light of it. Jokes like, "lost my mind, be back in five," somehow didn't cover it. He picked at his rice and never touched his shrimp. 

"Toshiro, we've made the appointment with the therapist for tomorrow after school. Unless you don't want to go to school tomorrow, that is." His mother's voice barely registered, as he pondered living with the fact that he was gay and couldn't even be with the one who had made him aware of this very important fact. Maybe he'd tell the therapist this, but then again, maybe he wouldn't. Maybe he'd never tell anyone. No one would have guessed, right? What if everyone started talking about him at school? What would he be able to do to convince them he was straight, if he was walking around with this heartache?

"Toshiro, I don't want you to be afraid of going to school again. If that monster ever comes near you again, I'll blow his head off myself," his father growled.

"No!" Toshiro gasped. "You can't! Please! You'll...get into terrible trouble!"

"I'm just protecting my son, that's all. Toshiro, once your ankle gets better, people won't feel so protective of you, but right now, everyone in their right mind knows you had no chance to escape that bastard. You did what you had to do to protect Kazu, that's all. I'm sure Kagome Higurashi will understand that," his father continued.

"Kagome! Oh, no, Dad, Kagome's cool. She understands it totally!" Toshiro assured him. He started to pick up a shrimp finally. _Yes, Kagome is my key to happiness. She can help me see Jakotsu again, and I can help her with her secret trips through that well!_ "Yeah, in fact, I think I'll email her, or post a comment on her MySpace page or something later. Maybe I'll text her, or even call her on the phone! It's funny how many ways there are to communicate nowadays, isn't it?" he said with a touch of hysteria in his voice.

His parents just looked at him, as though they were waiting. Waiting for the inevitable meltdown. Should he provide? No, not just yet. He should eat first, try and regain his strength. Then, he'll retire early, after emailing Kagome which is bound to be a waste of time if she's still in that world of the well. _Hey, wait a minute! Maybe I should go and try to Google Jakotsu!_ Brilliant plan! Toshiro actually smiled.

"Yep, therapist, three pm sharp," his mother said.

* * *

A little while later, Toshiro was seated in front of his laptop, typing furiously in response to all of his emails. Damn! He hadn't even touched his MySpace comments yet in his inbox, and he was already on the internet for over an hour. He had been planning his glorious meltdown for around eleven, but it was already well past that time. He hadn't even Googled Jakotsu yet! How would he ever feel the Google if he didn't get around to it? 

Oh, no! Toshiro felt the meltdown coming on, but this wasn't in his control, and he didn't want it it start like this. The urge to scream was threatening to break his vocal cords. Fortunately though, his scream had not come, or he would never have heard the soft rap on his window. He looked up, and had to blink. Maybe he had fallen asleep. Surely he was dreaming. Surely Jakotsu was not on the fire escape outside his window, with a huge, beautiful smile on his face! But still, just in case it might be real, Toshiro carefully slid the window open.

Jakotsu siezed Toshiro's hands immediately and began covering them with kisses. This was real! It occurred to Toshiro, out of the blue, that this entire episode in his life was actually quite...dare he say it...romantic! Who knew that _Jakotsu_ would be just what Toshiro needed in his life? "I can't believe I finally found you," Jakotsu cried between kisses.

"Jakotsu..." Toshiro whispered, then leaned forward. Jakotsu smiled and kissed Toshiro's lips even as he clung to his hands. "You'll have to be very very quiet; these walls are very thin. Come on in," he told the otherworldly mystery man. Jakotsu slipped through the window easily, then Toshiro slid the window shut.

"Come here, beside me." Toshiro patted his bed. Jakotsu grinned at the overlarge futon with the wooden pieces decorating it. He settled on it, found it to be quite comfortable, if not a bit noisy, then eyed the glowing screen across from the bed. His dark eyes glared at it as though it was a foul item indeed.

"Your oppressors are watching," Jakotsu reminded Toshiro. With a gasp, Toshiro leaped up and snapped the laptop shut. Then, he settled next to Jakotsu, and since his bed was only a twin size, it was very close quarters indeed. In fact, Jakotsu was so tall that his wooden sandals had to drape over the side, since the footboard of the bed didn't allow them to dangle over the foot of the bed.

"Jakotsu? How did you find me? Is your brother alright? Where do you go when you go through the well? Please, you have to tell me what's going on, before I totally think I've gone crazy," Toshiro begged in as quiet a whisper as he could manage under such duress.

"I tracked your footsteps into one of those loud, smelly wagons with no horses attached. Those wagons leave tracks too, you know. I tracked it to a building where those soldiers are fortressed. I saw that you were not there after all, and so I nearly fell into a despair, until I found your footsteps once again since you crossed grass on the way to another wagon, which I followed to the alleyway under us."

"Wow! You managed to track me without any compass or GPS? How did you do that?" Toshiro gasped.

"These hard black roads are not so easy, I admit it. But I am an expert tracker. I always manage to find what I need to find and get to where I need to get to. It's my skill, along with a sword, or course. Does no one carry swords here? I was looking for a samurai, but I found none," Jakotsu commented.

Toshiro laid his head against Jakotsu's chest. "Oh, is this armor? Is this snakeskin?"

"Yes, of course it is armor. I am a warrior. Warriors wear armor all the time, unless they are bathing, which is when they are most vulnerable. Surely with the evil god GPS watching you, you wear armor?" Jakotsu said. At Toshiro's look, he concluded that they didn't. "Oh, I see now. GPS has destroyed all the warriors, hasn't he? That is why I saw no samurai. I bet even the ninja are gone forever..."

Toshiro felt that wierd chill go through him again. "Samurai? They've been gone for over a hundred years. The only ninja I've ever seen were in movies. Jakotsu, are you...that is to say, do you go through the well to another _time?_ How can that be?"

"Samurai gone...ninja in movies. What are movies?" Jakotsu asked.

Toshiro's heart began to race. Jakotsu really had no idea. He really wasn't playing around, he really didn't know! So he tried another line of questions, hoping this would yield better results. "How did you meet Kagome Higurashi?"

"Oh, my Big Brother captured her during a battle. It turns out she had married one of my other brothers, so now, we are her family when she is not here with the Higurashi clan," Jakotsu answered simply. How does he do that, just explain things that are patently absurd as though they were the most common place things?

_"Kagome's married?"_ Toshiro gasped.

"Oh, no, not anymore. Mukotsu was killed just after the ceremony. By a demon," Jakotsu clarified sadly.

Toshiro was beginning to despair. Jakotsu was obviously quite mad, even if he was endearing. But the well! Toshiro _knew_ that Jakotsu went somewhere else when he went through the well. "Jakotsu, you do realize that what you are saying can't be true, don't you?" Toshiro frowned.

Jakotsu didn't answer. His poor Toshiro! He had no idea of the true nature of the world and the way it worked, did he? It was all thanks to that horrible noisy "cell phone" that Toshiro was so off track. "Didn't you realize that Kagome was travelling through time?" Jakotsu asked.

"Her grandfather would always call and say she was sick," Toshiro answered.

Jakotsu gasped. "I forgot! I needed to get something from you, from your apothocary! My Big Brother has been given a demonic poison antidote, but Kagome thinks he needs a medicine to heal his infected wound. What was it called again?" Jakotsu wondered.

"An antibiotic? Kagome thinks your brother needs an antibiotic? Doesn't he have a doctor treating him?" Toshiro asked, a bit alarmed that the only person keeping Jakotsu's brother alive was a junior high school girl.

"Oh, yes, my brother Suikotsu. But he didn't know about this medicine or how to make it," Jakotsu admitted.

"That's bad. Jakotsu, there are many different kinds of antibiotics, and doctors usually tell the pharmacist what type the patient needs to take. That's called a prescription. Sorry, Jakotsu, I have to use the computer now. I need to look up Kagome's most recent antibiotic prescription. That's most likely the one she's been using to help people in your times. Wait a minute! A _demonic poison antidote?_ What the heck is that?"

"What? Did GPS kill all the demons, too?" Jakotsu asked. He figured the son of an apothocary would have loads of demon poison antidotes!

_"Demons?"_ Toshiro gasped. "What kind of world is Kagome travelling to?"

* * *

Deep inside a sacred mountain, cloistered from the light of day, a seething mass pulsed. It was almost as if the mountain itself was its skeleton, and this undulating flesh was its innards. Only one pair of deep black eyes watched the mass coolly from above. 

_"Kanna,"_ a demon's voice called out. The voice belonged to a head that was somehow human and even quite lovely, in a twisted way. The red eyes from this head glanced up to meet the black ones.

A tiny girl, whose hair and skin were as white as her eyes were black, answered, "I am here."

"Show me what the Saimyosho have been seeing for me," the face instructed. Without words, Kanna shone a perfectly rounded mirror toward him. Images of men and demons fighting savagely filled the magical frame. "Well, it appears that my undead mercenaries might actually still be doing my bidding after all. I see they battled Sesshomaru, as I had instructed them to. Why they are all so far away is quite puzzling. They appear to be doing what I want them to do. But, I still don't entirely trust Bankotsu. By now, he might suspect that I could betray them once they have destroyed Inuyasha and his friends. Kanna, you and Kohaku will seek the Shichinitai out and observe them more closely. If you see that they are not doing as they were instructed, do not confront them. You must report it to me, and I will deal with them...appropriately."

Silently, the child of white glided back into the darkness, and the seething mass that was Naraku was left to brood and contemplate and rebuild himself.

* * *

"My lord Sesshomaru? You have been so silent since that battle with those ruffians!" Jaken commented. The demon prince and his constant companions all surrounded a fire which cast its warm glow beyond the night. 

"Jaken, you speak enough for us both," Sesshomaru said, without a sigh, though one seemed to be implied. "I am trying understand what happened during that battle. Obviously, my poison claws alone aren't enough to kill them. I recalled that from when I scratched that miserable toad man. He did not fall to them either."

"He was a poisoner, wasn't he? He was probably immune!" Jaken pointed out.

"Originally, that was my thought as well, but was his brother? I don't think so," Sesshomaru responded.

"Perhaps he and the other humans made themselves immune to poisons, my lord?" Jaken suggested.

"That is another possibility..." Sesshomaru trailed off.

Rin, who the others thought was asleep, stirred and said, "What about the Sacred Shikon Jewel shards in them? Aren't they being kept alive the same way Kohaku is?"

"Yet another possibility..." Sesshomaru then fell very silent, which Jaken and Rin knew only one thing. Sesshomaru had commenced a major brooding session.

With luck it will only last through the night, and in the morning they would be advised about his conclusion. If they weren't lucky, the brooding could last all week, and then, once he figured out what he wanted to do, he'd need to have Jaken collect Rin and Aun to follow him, which was never fun for Jaken. _If only the foolish human child would stop wandering off, and if only she didn't need to eat so often!_ Jaken thought crossly.

So imagine his surprise when his lord said very abruptly, "Jaken! See to Rin and Aun. We're going back to that village."

"Oh, goody! It was so pretty," Rin cried happily. Jaken had to blink, because he thought he saw, for a slight second, a tiny smile cross his lord's lips.

"It was also the village where my brother Inuyasha was pinned to a tree for fifty years. Did I mention that to you?" Sesshomaru asked her.

"No! How did he escape?" Rin gasped.

"Sometime, you'll have to ask his companion, Kagome," Sesshomaru told her as she was bundled onto Aun's back.

* * *

Renkotsu and Ginkotsu were rumbling down the dirt road well into the night. If they travelled continuously, they might make it to this Master Mushin's before morning, which would be excellent timing. "You know, there's a very good chance Inuyasha might not go for this," Renkotsu pointed out. 

"I hate wasting time too, but we have to try. It's Big Brother!" Ginkotsu said.

"I know, I know! That stupid punk, going after that demon like that..." Renkotsu grumbled.

"Hmmm...I see something," Ginkotsu said very quietly.

"Something like what?" Renkotsu asked, instantly at alert. At the height of his powers, Ginkotsu was gifted with superhuman vision. If he saw something, Renkotsu had always instructed him to tell him about it.

"Campfires," Ginkotsu confirmed after a second, looking to the west. Renkotsu leaped off Ginkotsu's platform and looked down through the bushes that lined the dirt road down the valley to see the clearing.

"Ginkotsu, it's an advance party, and it's fucking massive!" Renkotsu told him.

"Do you know their banners?" Ginkotsu asked.

"No...they're blue and white, though," Renkotsu reported.

"Those aren't the local daimyo's colors, they're green and black!" Ginkotsu gasped.

"This can only mean one thing, Ginkotsu. That village is going to be attacked!" Renkotsu concluded.

"The advance party is only a day away from there! Our brothers are there, and Big Brother is dying! Jakotsu and Suikotsu will fight, I know they will, and they'll need our help!" Ginkotsu panicked.

"We can't go back without Inuyasha and his friends! They'll be able to help too, and at least now we've got a way to convince Inuyasha to come back, since I'm sure he'll want to protect the village that Kagome uses to travel back and forth from her times. This is what we'll do. I'll go to this Master Mushin fellow, you go back to the village. Tell the others what we saw, and ask that sage woman Kaede who the local lord is. Jakotsu and Suikotsu are going to have to negotiate with him, since Bankotsu can't. What a lousy time for him to be flat on his back! Tell them _I_ said so, if they give you any shit! Now go!"

"I will, Renkotsu, but you're tired. Are you sure you'll make it?" Ginkotsu asked him.

"Well, for the sake of that village, and our brothers still left, I guess I'd better make it," Renkotsu sighed, then took off down the road, while Ginkotsu turned around and headed back to the village of the God Tree and the Bone Eater's Well.

* * *

_Sorry I took so long to update this! I was having computer problems, among other woes._


	24. Kagome's New Plan

_Have no fear, my dears, there's gonna be some more of Ban/Kag right now! But sorry, they may not have much time for fluff; there's an army headed for the village, you know:P_

Little Sister

Chapter 24: Kagome's New Plan

_Oh, where is that Jakotsu?_ Kagome was fuming as she paced in front of the hut. Kikyo had been attempting to show her some healing skills. Kagome was too frustrated to be receptive to the undead miko. Kagome felt bad about that too. Maybe it was because she just didn't have enough confidence in her own abilities. When Kikyo brought up that it was _Kagome_ who had brought Bankotsu back from the dead this time, not Naraku, that just made her more nervous. It meant, to Kagome anyway, that yes, she had power, but she was sketchy about controlling it at best.

And now, of course, Mukotsu had resumed hanging around her. He suggested, probably most sensibly, that she return to her own times to collect her things and then return back to the Fuedal Era. "I can't leave Bankotsu like this!" she protested.

"You should have gone back to get this medicine yourself! Jakotsu is most likely too distracted by that miserable apothocary's son to get back here," Mukotsu grumbled.

Kagome was tempted, yet again, to ask Mukotsu what he hated so much about Hojo, but she knew all he was really doing was trying to distract her from Bankotsu. Mukotsu was extremely jealous, that much was clear. "Hmm...maybe I'll go back to the well. Maybe Jakotsu will come back soon. He knows that Bankotsu's in trouble; he'll be back." Kagome walked out of the village, glad to be alone except for Mukotsu, in case she had to speak to him again, it wouldn't seem like she was talking to herself.

The dawn was spreading across the grass like a deep golden carpet. For one second, it made Kagome just stop and look. Then she saw on the horizon coming through the trees a mechanical vehicle. "Ginkotsu...what's he doing back so fast? Weren't he and Renkotsu supposed to be going to Master Mushin's Shrine? That takes all of us at least two days to get there and back, and that's if we're going fast!" she asked aloud.

"Oooh, must be trouble. Renkotsu's not with him!" Mukotsu pointed out.

Kagome ran to Ginkotsu. "What is it? There is trouble isn't there?" Kagome demanded.

"Little Sister! You're back! It's a miracle that you came back! Does this mean Big Brother is better?" Ginkotsu asked excitedly.

"Well, actually, he needs more medicine," Kagome admitted.

"Oh, then you should go back! Yes, you should go back right away..." Ginkotsu concluded.

Just as Kagome was about to ask Ginkotsu why he was back so soon, Jakotsu's head popped out of the well. "Oh, Little Sister, you were right! My beloved knew exactly what to do! He was brilliant! And he's adorable! What did we ever see in Inuyasha?"

Kagome took a large bag from Hojo's Pharmacy from Jakotsu's hand, then said with excitement, "Great! I'm getting this to Bankotsu!" She put a quick kiss on Jakotsu's cheek and then dashed off back to the village.

The cross-dressed mercenary put his hand on his cheek and sighed. Then, he looked up at Ginkotsu's bulk. "Hey, what are you doing back here? Where's Renkotsu and Inuyasha?"

"Brother, you _can't_ tell Little Sister what I'm about to tell you...I know she'll insist on staying and will get in terrible danger.

"Why? What's going on?"

"Renkotsu and I saw an advance party, camped about 20 miles from here. Looked like about three thousand men at least, and they're pointed right in this direction. This morning, they were on the march again. I could hear them. At the rate they were going, they'll be here by tomorrow for certain," Ginkotsu told him.

Instead of being afraid, Jakotsu became quite excited. "Ginkotsu! We get to kill some people! Thank goodness! What a dry spell we've been going through! Big Brother will be so excited! So will Suikotsu; he's been bored silly playing 'Good Doctor' all week!"

"This village is defenseless! Whoever the local daimyo is, he has a lot of catching up to do!" Ginkotsu growled.

"Come on, Ginkotsu, let's go make Big Brother's day!" Jakotsu grinned as he leaped onto Ginkotsu's platform.

"Gessh! You're _not listening!_ I don't want our Little Sister to get hurt! You _can't tell her!"_ Ginkotsu insisted.

Jakotsu pouted. "How are we supposed to keep it from her? Dump her back in the well? Don't you get it? She won't leave Bankotsu's side, especially if she gets any wind that something's up! We can't keep this from Big Brother! He's got to make preparations! Three thousand, you say? Shit, they mean business, don't they? You think they know we're here?"

"Heh, I doubt it...They'll be in for a surprise!" Ginkotsu said, cheering up at bit.

Unseen to both of them was Mukotsu, fuming. An army was headed for this village, and he was dead himself! He could have been of great use in this battle; whenever there were large numbers of soldiers, once the other brothers have had their fun, he was let loose, Bankotsu giving him full leave to contaminate as many people as he possibly could. Ah, how he loved to watch their faces swell up! None of the others knew how to use the poisons in the order he liked to use them, though Renkotsu had shown some interest before they had been executed years ago. But of course, Renkotsu wasn't even there. What the hell was he doing anyway? So many questions, so little time to answer them! But then again, he _was_ a spirit now, wasn't he? Mukotsu brightened up, since he figured out that he could watch the battle tomorrow from the comfort of the dimension he lived in now. He could be right in the middle of it all! Yes, that was very cheering indeed. Maybe he could take his mind off that nasty Hojo fellow...

Meanwhile, Kagome tore into the hut, antibiotic in hand. Bankotsu was awakened by her entrance. He weakly stirred. "Here, Bankotsu, this is the special medicine that I've given all my friends when they've had injuries from demon wounds. This will make certain that the fever goes away, and will make sure the wound heals completely," Kagome explained to him.

"When we had our powers, Suikotsu was able to heal, did you know that? And Mukotsu, he was able to move things with his mind. Renkotsu could turn invisible. Jakotsu could read minds. Kyukotsu could make a barrier just like demons. Ginkotsu had super strength, and could hear better than a dog, and see better than a bird of prey. Do you want to know what I was able to do?" Bankotsu asked Kagome softly.

"Are you sure you're not delirious? You've still got that fever..." Kagome said, touching his forehead. Bankotsu seized her hand with his warm one. It sent those electric jolts through her, especially when his fevered blue eyes widened.

"I was able to _fly!"_ he told her. "I bet Naraku never knew that about us, did he? I dreamt I was flying, you know?"

"Lots of people have flying dreams. I have them lots of times," Kagome assured him.

"Well of course you have flying dreams; you're a _miko_ aren't you? Now, where's this foul thing you want me to swallow this time?" Bankotsu demanded.

"Right here," Kagome told him, then gave him a small cup with some water and the contents of the antibiotic capsule in it. "And make sure you drink it all up!" she demanded.

"Okay, okay!" Bankotsu growled, then knocked back the concoction. He frowned, but at least didn't make a stink about it. "Now, what's going on? Is Jakotsu back?"

"Yes, but so is Ginkotsu, without Renkotsu. I don't know what's going on. Ginkotsu didn't seem to want to talk about it. I asked him, and he just changed the subject, and then Jakotsu came back from the well."

"Kagome, I think I know what's going on. I saw it in my flying dream. I have to get up, can you help me?" Bankotsu asked.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? You look like you need that antibiotic to start working before you go outside!" Kagome warned him, but Bankotsu held his hand out, as though he needed help up. Kagome sighed and took him under the arm and carefully helped him up. He winced a little, but didn't make a sound. She took him outside the hut. The morning sun was now fully risen, and she could see the bandage around his bare chest in full daylight. She gasped; it was just a really good thing that Hojo was able to get that anitbiotic for her as fast as he did.

"Where's my Banryu?" Bankotsu growled.

"I'm not sure, I think Kikyo took it. Besides, you're in no shape to do anything with it, even if there was anything you needed to do with it, because there isn't!" Kagome insisted.

Bankotsu took a painful breath. "Now just a minute! Banryu isn't an _it,_ she's a _she,_ and I told you, something's going on! Now where's my Banryu?"

"I told you, I think Kikyo has it. Which means that Suikotsu must know where it is, and if he sees you like this, he's not going to let you take Banryu, even if there was anything going on," Kagome huffed. _Ugh, these Fuedal Era guys! They're such cavemen!_

"We'll see about that! If he tries to stop me, I'll kick his ass and he knows it!" Bankotsu said with finality. _Hmph, the women from her times sure think they own you as soon as they take care of you!_ "I want to know where my Banryu is and I want to know where all my brothers are."

"Well, two of them are right here, Big Brother. What are you doing out of your futon? That wound is awful!" Ginkotsu declared.

Bankotsu, at that moment, had just about had enough of people telling him how lousy he looked. "Well, isn't that something,_you_ telling _me_ what bad shape I'm in!" he snapped irritably

Kagome gasped. "Bankotsu, that was a _terrible_ thing to say to Ginkotsu!"

Jakotsu cut in, grasping Kagome by the soulders and marching her away from the others, saying, "Yeah, Bankotsu can get pretty cranky when he's sick, which I'm sure is why you want to get back to your own times now, and you can tell my beloved that I love him!"

Kagome shrugged Jakotsu off. "Ginkotsu, are you okay? Did something happen to Renkotsu?" she asked.

"Oh, I think Renkotsu is just fine. He's, uh, just doing some scouting, you know, looking around here at what's all here, you know?" Jakotsu explained.

Ginkotsu looked very worried about something. His one good eye set on Kagome and she knew immediately that whatever was going on, he didn't want her to know about it. She wanted to sigh, even Ginkotsu (and Jakotsu, who she was sure was let in on the big secret) was going caveman on her now. "I know, _I'll_ get Banryu for you, Bankotsu!" she offered.

While Bankotsu was opening his mouth to thank her, Jakotsu said, "Now, now, that nasty thing of his is much too heavy for a woman to carry. Heck, even Kyokotsu couldn't pick the darn thing up without effort. I think you'd be better off going back into the well, then maybe, in a few days, Bankotsu will be feeling better and won't be so surly!"

"I can carry Banryu just fine! What's going on? Tell me now! You guys, _come on!"_ Kagome demanded.

"Gessh! I don't want to tell _either_ of you!" Ginkotsu decided.

"Ginkotsu, don't make me get Banryu and _make_ you tell me," Bankotsu threatened, now completely annoyed with his brothers and Kagome.

"Now you're _threatening_ him! You're such a _brute!"_ Kagome yelled, as only she could.

A bit blanched, but otherwise undisturbed, Bankotsu yelled back, "Stop treating Ginkotsu like he's some kind of wounded bird, Kagome! He's killed a hell of a lot of people, he's been shot at, he's been stabbed, hell, he's been _executed!_ He's a lot tougher than you give him credit for! And for that matter, so am I!"

Little did he know that Kagome was far from through. "Oh, yeah? Well, I was pulled into a well by a demon, had a big jewel just fly out of my chest, survived getting my soul nearly sucked out by a mirror, nearly drowned in smelly herbs that _did_ take my soul out, got kidnapped countless times, was slapped around, nearly suffocated by a moth demon's web, not to mention the fact that I nearly was burned to death by one of your brothers and was poisoned and nearly raped by another one! You know, come to think of it, since I got here, I've survived a load of dangers!"

"Which is why we don't want anything else to happen to you, Little Sister. Please, please go back now so we don't have to be afraid for your safety while we fight," Ginkotsu said quietly as soon as he had a chance.

Kagome climbed onto his platform. She looked into his one eye and said, "The only way I'll even consider going back is if you tell me what happened to Renkotsu, and you tell me why you're going to be fighting."

"Grrr...you're getting as good at being bossy as Big Brother! Alright, fine! This village is about to be attacked, by another daimyo's army. Renkotsu decided to try and make Master Mushin's to find your friends, not knowing that you had already come back with medicine. He sent me back here to warn everyone. We have a lot to do if we have any kind of hope of getting together a defense strategy."

"Which is why you should go back to your time. Toshiro! You have to tell him what's going on. I don't want him to think I'd abandoned him if the worst were to happen."

Kagome knew what to do. These guys might be cavemen, but she knew how to use that to her advantage. "Yes, I'll go back then." She meekly turned toward the well.

"I'll walk you there, Little Sister," Bankotsu told her as he caught up to her and took her arm into his.

Jakotsu gave Ginkotsu a glance, and they both said at the exact same time, "That was too easy..."

Meanwhile, Kagome and Bankotsu got to the well a bit slower than usual, since Bankotsu was still a bit weak. Well, more than a bit. "Big Brother, this village means everything to me. My family are keepers of the shrine that this place will eventually become. How are you going to recuperate fast enough to fight?"

"You worry too much. The shrine is there, in your time, isn't it? Doesn't that mean that whenever this army comes, we'll be able to take care of it, so that in the future, it's there for you and your family?" Bankotsu pointed out.

"Yes, I...I guess you're right. You'd better take that medicine again, Bankotsu! I mean it, it'll help with the wound, and that way you'll get stronger," she began to get teary eyed as she said it.

"I will, I will, okay?" Bankotsu grumbled. Kagome threw herself into his arms, and he hugged her as closely as he dared with that slash of gauze across his chest. The odor coming from it reached Kagome's nose, and while she was no medical expert, she knew that his wound was worse than he was letting on.

_He'll never be able to fight!_

She even kissed him, and his lips were even hotter than they usually were. He was burning up, and not in a good way. "Now, go. I'm leaving now, don't worry. Just get some rest!" Kagome told him, then let go of his over-warm hand and climbed into the well.

He watched her go. He wanted desperately to say that he loved her, but he didn't dare. He feared she'd never leave if he did something that stupid. His face was bathed in blue magical light when she dissolved into the future. But one thing he did say: "That was too easy..."

* * *

Kagome leaped out of the well into the dark shrine. Toshiro was there, sitting on the floor, sleeping. "Toshiro! Wake up, Jakotsu got back with the anitbiotic!" 

"Hmmmph, oh? Oh, good! How is his brother doing?"

"Lousy. He got infected by a demon's scratch. He's lucky he's alive, but he'd better rest up. Which he won't do, of course, because now there's a battle coming up! The village that I arrive at, the very place this place used to be five hundred years ago, is going to be attacked by an invading army."

"Kagome! Jakotsu is going to fight?" Toshiro gasped.

"Oh, yeah! But I'm not too worried about him; I've seen him with a sword, and he's an ace, let me reassure you. He can cut down about ten guys with one swing! It's Bankotsu I'm worried about."

"When's this battle supposed to happen?" Toshiro asked.

"I'm not exactly sure, but it's probably going to be very soon. Hey, you'd better get home and get dressed. Are you going to school today?" Kagome asked.

"That depends. Are you?" Toshiro asked.

"Yes, I'll go today. But I've got to get back to the Feudal Era before the battle starts," Kagome warned him. _Yes, before Bankotsu collapses from his injury!_

* * *

_NOTE: With the writer's strike going on, my tv watching is going to be severely curtailed, but that's good news for you guys because I'll be able to update more regularly._


	25. The True Nature of Banryu

Little Sister

Chapter 25: The True Nature of Banryu

Kagome packed her bag with lots of medicines and bandages. Hojo Toshiro accompanied her to the well, and was even able to help with her many bundles. "You know, I'm so glad I have someone else who knows about what I do now. I just don't know how to explain it to my other friends..." she sighed.

"Kagome, don't worry about them right now, just make sure you take care of yourself. We can't afford to have anything happening to you!" Toshiro told her. "Oh, one last thing. When you see Jakotsu again, could you give this to him?" He handed her a small brass button.

She made a small gasp. So many girls in school would have loved to get one of these from him, that was for sure! A button from his school uniform, a token of devotion. She'd have to explain it to Jakotsu when she got the chance. "I'm sure he'll have something for you in return, and don't worry, I'll make sure they're all alright."

"Kagome, thank you, for everything."

"No problem, Toshiro! I'll call you as soon as I get back!" And just with that, Kagome leaped down into the well and the blue light enveloped her. Toshiro took a deep breath. How can she be so fearless? Her village was abou to be attacked by an army. Even if they didn't hve all the most modern weapons, did that mean people didn't die anyway? She said Jakotsu was really good at what he did. He'd have to have faith in them all.

* * *

"So, that's our plan. If Renkotsu gets back here by some miracle, I'll send him out to meet up with Ginkotsu if it's possible. Otherwise, it'll be just you three. I will stay behind in the village itself," Bankotsu told his brothers. Everyone in the village knew that attack was imminent. A message was sent to the local daimyo, but Bankotsu had little hope that it would do much good. It might prove prudent to the daimyo to not bother defending this land. In Bankotsu's estimation, that would be exceedingly stupid, the equivalent to saying to the invaders, _here, I'll lie down while you walk all over me._

"Don't worry, Big Brother. Renkotsu fitted me with lots of great weapons. He's seen their new matchlock rifles, thanks to Jakotsu, and what he's made for me is far more advanced. They won't be expecting it." Ginkotsu was unable to smile, thanks to the metal peice fitted over his mouth, but Bankotsu could hear a smile in his voice.

"For that matter, they won't be expecting any real resistance at all! This daimyo ought to thank us for caring enough to bother," Jakotsu sniffed.

"Hey, I don't care if this is a freebie. I get to kill some people!" Suikotsu grinned as he finished fitting his claws on. "It's too bad you have to stay in the village, Big Brother!"

"You should appreciate my sacrifice, mopping up after you guys. Hmm...maybe I'll use one of Mukotsu's leftover concoctions, in his memory. I need the practice. I need to be able to do everything any of you could do..." Bankotsu smirked. He took a deep breath. He felt his chest expand under his armor, but the wound stung a little. When would that damned medicine heal the wound? After Kagome left, he took another 5 capsules and dissolved them, hoping more medicine would get him better faster. Well, since he wasn't already dead, he had to assume that they worked.

* * *

Kagome peeked her head out of the well, and at once, she could hear popping sounds in the distance. Almost like firecrackers going off in the distance, but she knew better. The battle had started! She saw no one. 

Taking her oversized backpack, she trudged as fast as she could down the path. No firelights emerged from inside the houses, like they always did. Instead, she saw hundreds of torches outside, lighting the way for every man in the village, and even a few of the women. Most of them were armed with little but clubs and garden hoes, a couple had swords, a few more had bows and arrows. Certainly none of them had guns.

But Bankotsu was out there, at the head of the crowd of would-be soliders. All of them had their attention towards the sound of battle outside the village. Banryu glinted against the firelight. Bankotsu himself looked more than ready to kill mass amounts of people, but Kagome knew looks could be decieving. There was a reason _he_ was in the village, and not one of the others. She knew it was because his wound was not healed yet. She just hoped he wasn't weak and feverish like he was before.

* * *

Ginkotsu hated being by himself in this tank-like body that Renkotsu had made for him. Soldiers surrounded him, and he had no way of totally keeping them away. Sure, he'd shot most of them, but it always seemed as if one or two of them were brave enough to climb onto his platform. _"Gessh!"_ he growled as one soldier tried to look into his eye. 

"What is this thing?" the soldier asked. "This can't be a human!"

"Take its guns, you fool!" his officer barked.

"Oh, no you don't!" Ginkotsu heard it from above him. He looked up, and then shouted, "Renkotsu!"

"Shippo, be very careful! Now, drop me down!" he ordered. Renkotsu landed three feet from Ginkotsu and the soldier. Immeidately, Renkotsu dashed forward and swiped the fool away. The soldier tumbled to the ground, but then got up to chase Renkotsu off with his sword. Renkotsu coolly shot him dead with one of the matchlock rifles he had modified.

"Ahhh! What do I do now?" Shippo cried.

"Ginkotsu, is Big Brother still alive? Where is he?"

"Yess! He's in the village!"

"Shippo, go back to the village and tell Bankotsu that I'm back. Tell him that Master Mushin will send Inuyasha and the others back here as soon as they get back from that mountain! Now, go!" Renkotsu ordered. The little demon child nodded breathlessly, and Renkotsu had a feeling that he was glad he had a mission.

"You mean you didn't bring Inuyasha back? It's a good thing Jakotsu got Little Sister back here to give Bankotsu his antidote!" Ginkotsu reported.

_Not good! How can Bankotsu still be alive?_ Renkotsu was irritable; his arms felt like they might never get set back in their sockets. Even so, the fox demon managed to get him there while the battle was raging. This at least cheered him up a bit. After all, they hadn't faced a real army since they died!

"That little kitsune got you back here?" Ginkotsu asked in disbelief.

"It's a long story. Let's just say he insisted once he heard that the village was being attacked. Now, let me fight!" And so at that moment, Renkotsu went from being dead weight to being a killing machine. Even with bare hands, he was deadly, as he took down two soldiers. He promptly "borrowed" their guns and swords. He gave a glance back up, only to see Shippo using his fox demon magic against another fighter, setting fire to his helmet.

"No, no, no, that's no way to do it! Let me show you how it's done," Renkotsu said with an evil smile. Soon, he set several soldiers aflame with his Fire Potion from his gourd. "Now is not the time to practice, and I can't watch over you. Kagome will kill me if anything happens to you, so you'd better get out of here!"

"There's so many of them! What are we going to do?" Shippo cried.

"I told you what to do! Now move it!"

* * *

Suikotsu and Jakotsu were quite far away from eachother. Each brother had a makeshift unit of men from the village, most of whom had at least held a sword once or twice. Still, Jakotsu had to do the work of at least fifty of them in order to keep one of them alive. What had been a fun prospect of mass killing had very quickly become a hopeless battle. When Ginkotsu had said this advance party was huge, he wasn't kidding! Jakotsu was finding that even as he swept his sword across the field, taking tens of men down at a time, another twenty took their places. 

_How would Big Brother be able to fare against them in his condition?_ There was no way he'd be able to keep those soldiers out of the village completely, no matter how bravely his unit fought or how much he exhausted himself cutting the masses down like grass blades.

* * *

"I see some of them coming, Sir!" Bankotsu's sentry, a village boy of twelve, yelled down from his rooftop vantage point. 

"Men, get into your positions!" Bankotsu called. He watched the horizon, and saw hundreds of specks growing larger as they approached. Horseback riders among the foot soldiers... How had his brothers fared? "Kaede, Kikyo, I'm counting on you two to defend the women and children." He said this grimly. There was no sign of any of his brothers or of their makeshift units.

Now, he'd have to rely solely on Banryu...

Everyone was in place as the first soldiers began to step into the limits of the village itself. Arrows rained down upon them from house windows, and the soldiers began to spread out between them. Unseen in the shadows of night, voices began to cry out in pain and death. Suddenly, an invisible force rippled through the road, and a dozen soldiers simply went flying like bricks would after a wall got blasted. Soon, any of the soldiers who had escaped the phantom attack could see a young man with a long braid and ronin armor swinging a ridiculously huge halberd. A few seconds later, those men were scattered too.

Bankotsu never knew why, but Banryu always worked best in situations like this, in defense of a village in peril. Not every assignment they ever had involved attacking villages (though, to be sure, those were the most fun), but plenty of times they were hired to keep the invaders from succeeding in taking over strategic locations like this village. Those were the times when Bankotsu felt most as one with the halberd, as though they were both joined. He leaped forward, sweeping Banryu grandly over the soldiers, and like a deadly spirit blade, the halberd sliced them down.

For a while, this seemed to be making some progress. But, sadly, the invading army was too numerous. Guns began to crack around Bankotsu. He landed upon several soldiers, cutting them away, but more surrounded him. Warily, they surrounded him. He swirled Banryu over his head, then brought her down again, and again...

Kagome was racing to Bankotsu when she heard, "We've got him!" She saw the soldiers descending upon him, and she screamed. What could she do to save him?

Some of the soldiers turned their attention from Bankotsu, since they couldn't seem to get to him through the gang that was already on him, and they focused on Kagome. She noticed that some other soldiers threw Banryu to the side, so Bankotsu presumably couldn't get to it again. Without thinking, Kagome dashed over to Banryu.

"Crazy wench! What do you think you're about?" some of the soldiers complained when Kagome reached for the halberd. Someone managed to grab Kagome around the waist, even as she reached in the air. The warrior who grabbed her tried to throw her to the ground, but something happened before he could do that.

Banryu came to Kagome!

As soon as her fingers touched the halberd, a voice filled her head, which couldn't be described as anything but silvery. "I am the Defender of the Helpless. Protect this village from these invaders!" And Kagome simply started swinging. Blood began to cover her, armor began to shatter, heat began to rise from the earth, and screams of death deafened her. But Kagome was completely taken over by Banryu's incredible power, and she was soon sending those fortunate enough to be alive scrambling for cover.

Very soon, all the soldiers that had made it to the village were either dead or running away in sheer terror. "Flee, before the Miko's Wrath destroys us all!" could be heard over the screams. As for Kagome, her muscles were stronger than they ever had been, and her mind was sharp and clear. And even though she had driven out the soldiers from the village itself, there were the thousands still left with the other Shichinintai and the fighters of the village. She knew what she must do...

Kikyo and Kaede had seen what Kagome was doing. Instead of questioning it right that moment, they gave eachother a glance, and the sisters decided to follow Kagome out onto the road. Many of the others left behind to defend the village followed as well. A couple of the villagers picked up Bankotsu, who was nearly unconscious. "Lady Kagome certainly has learned quite a bit from you people, hasn't she? one of them asked Bankotsu.

"What's...she doin'...with my Banryu?" Bankotsu breathed.

"Winning the battle..." one of the women answered, with a bit of pride in her voice.

The procession led right up to Suikotsu's unit, and that was where Kagome stopped. The unit was hopelessly outnumbered, and Suikotsu would be engulfed in moments. But still, the crazed combat brother yelled to her, "Find Jakotsu! His flare just went off!"

"Are those what those yellow sparks are?" Kikyo asked. As soon as she asked that, orange ones blasted into the air, and then, just after, blue ones. Ja, Gin and Ren were all in terrible danger. (Suikotsu probably should have set off his own, but that was just not a Suikotsu thing.)

Kagome didn't make the decision, the Silver Lady did. The halberd spun above Kagome's outstretched hand, over their heads, and lightning began to crackle, as though Banryu was a generator, and the electricity from the earth and sky were being pulled in.

At once, lightning bolts rained down upon the army. With a precision that defied human ability, the bolts struck anyone with a thought of doing harm to any of the Band or their villagers. It was as though the lightning sought out thought, rather than deed. But still, the army soldiers were convinced that the lightning would destroy them all. The screams were even louder now than they wer in the village, since this was pure magic, and what army could stop magic? The earth soon roared with feet pounding upon it, hundreds and hundreds of men running as fast as their armor would allow them to run.

The battle was over. The village was safe. For the time being. And that was when Kagome collapsed from the power that had engulfed her. Kikyo caught her, and Kaede examined her. Bankotsu was propped up by two men, and he had them take him to Kaede's side.

_"Please tell me that Kagome will be alright!"_ he cried weakly.

That tinkling laughter filled his mind, the same one he had heard when taking Kagome back to the village to go home to her time. _She will be fine. She uses me well, doesn't she?_

Bankotsu let out a long sigh. "Yeah, she does..."

* * *

_Don't think eveyone's problems are over! Next chapter, it will become apparent that the remaining Shichinintai must find a way to survive without the Sacred Jewel shards. How will they find an way?_


	26. The Sword That Saves

Little Sister

Chapter 26: The Sword that Saves

"This is not good," Suikotsu sighed as he stared at Bankotsu's chest. It was nearly morning once again, and the field just outside the village was littered with injured and dead. Jakotsu snored slightly as he rested against Jakotsuto. Renkotsu was wincing as he kneaded his shoulders, and Ginkotsu was trying vainly to keep Kagome from starting another screaming session. She'd already had a meltdown once she realized just how much killing she'd accomplished. But Suikotsu had no time to notice any of them. He needed to save as many people as he possibly could. With Kikyo and Kaede and some of the village women, he was able to organize a real infirmary very quickly. The Shichinintai had a lot of knowledge of army life, and they were able to instruct the villagers on how to perform a variety of tasks like a real army did. So, now he had the time to examine Big Brother's wound. It was still not much better from when Kagome had first given him those pills...

"What is he supposed to do, Suikotsu? It's not like we had a great deal of time for him to heal," Renkotsu grumbled irritably.

"Renkotsu, we have healed very quickly from Kagome's arrows in the past. Jakotsu had healed from a _gunshot_ wound with very little trouble. And with Kagome's antidote, he should have been able to heal since it would have neutralized Sesshomaru's poison. But this isn't healing at all," he explained grimly.

Kagome picked her head up. She had been perched on Ginkotsu's platform, with her head down. She was covered in blood. She knew she was still reeling from the Silver Lady and her takeover of Kagome's powers, but when she heard that Bankotsu was _still_ not healed, she realized that she had to do something.

Suikotsu looked up from Bankotsu and saw Kagome. "Little Sister, I thought you'd be resting."

"Do you rest after killing lots of people?" Kagome asked a bit nastily.

"Hmm...actually, no. I find that _he_ gets rather invigorated after killing like you did. Sorry, I'm sure that's not what you wanted to hear." Suikotsu busied himself spreading an ointment onto a new clean bandage.

Suddenly, something occurred to Kagome. She went to Banryu, which was now sitting very innocently stuck into the ground beside the campfire, streaked with dried blood. She pulled one of the two jewel shards from the halberd. _Sorry, I know you need them, but Bankotsu needs one of them even more than you._ Kagome almost could swear she sensed the resignation in Banryu's aura, though a weapon wasn't supposed to even have an aura... Then, she went back to Bankotsu's side, and slipped the jewel shard into the wound, before Suikotsu had a chance to put the new bandage on. The wound healed itself, closed at though someone was zippering it shut. The skin around the wound site faded from the red to a normal skin tone.

Suikotsu slapped his head with frustration. "Why didn't I think of that?" he groused.

Bankotsu sat up, and finally felt like he was human once again. He held his hand up to Kagome, who took it. "You'd better put your clothes back on," she advised.

"Are you _sure_ you want me to do that?" Bankotsu asked with a wink.

Kagome was feeling numb before. But around Banktosu, especialy when he was fully in the here and now, somehow managed to chase away all numbness. In Kagome's case, this was not a good thing. She felt the numbness fading away, that blessed numbness she'd experienced for a few moments, that took her mind off the death that surrounded her. Now, it was slamming into her full throttle again.

Renkotsu saw it coming. He decided to brave the storm this time. He grabbed Kagome by the shoulders as she began to sob. "You'd better stop this, Little Sister, or you can't be a member of our team!"

"How did you feel when you killed your first bunch of people?" she screamed.

"Pretty damned glad that I was the one left standing and they weren't!" he shot back. He turned his eyes to Bankotsu. "I'm sure Big Brother is of the same mindset. It's a good thing there was an extra jewel shard in his halberd. He's saved, for now. Until his next accident, or his next injury. And then, well, he's out of jewel shards to fix him up, unless he takes one from one of us. I wonder which one he'll take? Probably not Jakotsu, not until the very end, anyway. Once the rest of us are gone..."

"What the fuck are you trying to say, Renkotsu?" Bankotsu scrambled up and was in the taller brother's face in virtually an instant.

"Sure, the first one to go will probably be Ginkotsu. You probably figure he's half-gone already. And then, maybe Suikotsu, since you might decide he's too crazy to keep around, unless you decide you don't need me anymore, since I'm on to you now," Renkotsu yelled back.

The shouting woke Jakotsu up. He dashed to Bankotsu's side, keeping Jakotsuto at the ready. "Don't you touch him!" he growled murderously at Renkotsu.

_"I won't let you take Ginkotsu's jewel shard! If anyone is going to get his jewel shard, it's going to be me, he said so himself!"_ Renkotsu went on, now in a near frenzy.

Kagome screamed and ran to defend Ginkotsu. She ran up onto his platform and grasped him around his neck. _"No! NO! Leave him alone!"_

"Little Sister, don't try to defend me. It's true, I did tell Renkotsu that he could have my jewel shard," Ginkotsu confessed.

"I forbid it, Ginkotsu! You're not giving that jewel shard up to _anybody,_ is that clear?" Bankotsu ordered him.

"Did I miss something here? I don't recall Bankotsu saying anything about taking anyone's jewel shards," Suikotsu asked irritably.

"I can see it in your eyes; you don't trust him either! I won't die again!" Renkotsu raged. Now people were staring at him, many of them terrified of what he might do. He was breathing hard, and his eyes were darting all around, as though looking for a way out.

"Kagome? What's his shard doing?" Bankotsu asked.

"Why do you want to know that for? Maybe you'll have _her_ pull it out of my neck for you? Is that it?" Renkotsu screamed.

"Renkotsu, you have to _stop!"_ Kagome gasped, jumping down from Ginkotsu's platform and heading straight towards him.

_"Little Sister!"_ Ginkotsu warned, then aimed a gun at Renkotsu, in case he tried to hurt her. Renkotsu saw the gun at his head, then glanced at Kagome who was back before him again. He then noticed Jakotsu edging forward, and Suikotsu watching him warily. Bankotsu grabbed his wrist.

"Renkotsu, you have to think! Why would I kill you to get your shard now when I need you more than I ever have? How much time will having your jewel shard buy me? Even if I had seven jewel shards in my body and the other three in Banryu, I would not have been able to do what you, my brothers, had been able to do today! Even if I had every jewel shard of yours, I would not be able to escape Naraku!"

"I just don't want to die again. Maybe that means I'm not that noble, or brave, and I don't want to sound ungrateful, because you sacrificed your honor in order to preserve ours by bargaining with the daimyos to allow us _hara-kiri,_ but let me tell you something Big Brother, that hurt like a real son of a bitch! And that was after watching Ginkotsu's head..." Renkotsu knelt down and held his head in his hands. He looked almost as though he was trying to cry but nothing was coming out.

After a few seconds, a small hand touched Renkotsu's head. He glanced up with a start, and saw Shippo standing there. "You're just scared. All of us get scared of Naraku sometimes, even Inuyasha does."

"Shippo! Where were you this whole time?" Kagome gasped.

"Sorry, Kagome, I got scared too, this battle was very scary. Even though it was humans, it was scary!" Shippo admitted, and then launched himself into her arms.

"So, my jewel shard isn't black?" Renkotsu asked her.

"No, it's fine right now. Can't you tell when it's black and when it's not?" Kagome asked him.

"By the time I realize I've been posessed, the damage is already done," he told her, and the other brothers began to nod emphatically, except for Ginkotsu. "Hey, Ginkotsu, I just realized something. You've never been affected by Naraku's power over the jewel shards!"

"Gessh. He probably doesn't think I'm worth the bother," Ginkotsu said, and would have shrugged if he had been able.

Kagome climbed back up once again to Ginkotsu's side, this time with Shippo in tow. She sat down on his platform. "Then I guess we'll be safest with you, won't we?"

Bankotsu's eyes narrowed very slightly, but said nothing. Especially since his brother was now beaming, or at least as much as someone like him could beam. _That Kagome! There she was, covered in blood, scared out of her mind just earlier that night, and now, she's back to taking care of others and making others feel better._ Well, at least he wasn't dying for the moment, and there she was. How much better could his immediate life get? _Oh, it could be better! We could be living without jewel shards!_

The leader of the Band of Seven (who might either have to find some people or might have to change their name, since there were not seven anymore...) waited until full light, and until Kagome and Shippo were gone to finally clean up, and until Suikotsu had one minute of time to his name. Then, among the five brothers, he spoke his mind.

"We've got two priorities here, guys. One, we have to make sure that this daimyo we just helped for free isn't actually one of the ones who had us killed," Bankotsu growled.

"Well, remember, we didn't recognize the banners of the local lord," Ginkotsu pointed out.

"Wow, fresh meat!" Jakotsu joked.

Bankotsu smirked. "Good. That means we only have one priority...finding a way to live without the jewel shards. Has anyone heard of anything at all, any ideas, no matter how stupid you might think they are? Anybody?"

"Since a few days ago? No, I don't have any ideas. What happened last night made me _less_ hopeful than ever that we'll be free of Naraku," Renkotsu frowned.

"I just hope that this isn't the start of us deteriorating. That's my worry," Suikotsu murmured.

"Damn! You're just full of happy thoughts, aren't you?" Renkotsu snapped.

"Let's not tell Kagome. I don't think we should burden her with this..." Ginkotsu said quietly.

"I agree. And Suikotsu, it's useless to keep asking Kikyo. She told me yesterday that she's got no ideas. What keeps her alive, to her anyway, is more repugnant than what keeps us alive," Bankotsu concluded. Consuming the souls of the dead to remain animate..._At least Kikyo does good in the world. This somewhat justifies what she needs to do to stay alive. But, what do I do? How can I justify taking another person's soul to borrow a bit more time in the world of the living?_

Jakotsu said nothing. He just discreetly wiped a tear away. _Sure,_ Bankotsu thought, _just as we have finally started forming lives for ourselves again, we are faced with our imminent demise. Jakotsu finally found his love. So have I. We've found a place that we might actually be able to call home. It's so unfair...Haven't we paid for our sins by getting beheaded? Why must we keep paying?_

"If that was all you have to say, I need to get back to the infirmary..." Suikotsu sighed, then left his other brothers to brood over their fate. He himself had too much to do.

A short while later, Suikotsu stifled a yawn while stitching a sword wound in a villager's leg. He was grateful for the tools that Kagome had gotten for him. If only Kaede had a set for herself! The elderly priestess was quite skilled, and she could have been an extra set of hands. As it was, Suikotsu could only offer to pay for another set with that odd card that Kagome swore "had his money on it." Hmph! If he couldn't see the gold, how was he to know it really was there? Well, no matter, Suikotsu could get more of his gold from the safety cave.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could swear that he saw...he looked up. Yes, his eyes were not mistaken. Sesshomaru had returned! "Wonderful. One of my very _favorite_ people is back..." Suikotsu complained to his patient.

"Heh! I'd rather you talk to him than keep stitching this leg!" the villager grumbled.

"I know it hurts. I wish there were some way to keep you from feeling the pain, but there isn't. I'm just hoping it doesn't grow infected even after we sew you up." Suikotsu eyed Sesshomaru coming toward him.

"I see I missed a battle here; I'm annoyed," Sesshomaru commented.

"Well, this was just an advance party. If the daimyo that wanted this area is willing to risk coming back again, after what Kagome did, then there might be more fighting..." Suikotsu said as matter-of-factly as he could.

"Is my brother here, then? You mentioned Kagome..."

"We expect Inuyasha to be back tomorrow at the earliest. Kagome had come back from her own time, and the rest of her friends left. What _do_ you really want here? I'm sure you didn't come to chat with me," Suikotsu asked crossly.

"Actually, I did. Or rather, I wanted to see your leader. Is he still alive?" Sesshomaru asked. The villager stared up at Inuyasha's brother and simply gaped.

"As a matter of fact, he is. Aren't you just jumping with joy over that?" Suikotsu spat. "Look, I'm trying to do something here that might save this man's leg, and possibly even his life. I can't drop what I'm doing to show you to Bankotsu."

"Understood," Sesshomaru said, then receded. Jaken began to grouse about Suikotsu's rudeness, but Sesshomaru cut him short. "I wish to be here if there is to be another battle. I could use a good battle to...relax."

"Among these filthy humans?" Jaken gasped.

"All the better to kill, Jaken. You know better than to question me..."

"Come along, girl! We're going to camp by that large tree Lord Sesshomaru had told you about!" Jaken snapped.

"I'll be right there, Master Jaken!" Rin called to him. She had picked up a fallen branch. Just then, Kagome came over to Suikotsu, and on her way, saw the orphan girl that Sesshomaru adopted.

"Rin? What are you doing here? Is Sesshomaru here again?" Kagome fretted. Though the child was as gentle as gentle could be, her loyalty _was_ with Sesshomaru, after all.

"Don't worry. Sesshomaru is only wondering why that man who works for Naraku wasn't killed by the poison claws..." Rin answered, then smiled. "He wants to stay for the next battle. Can he stay? Will Inuyasha let him?"

"Inuyasha's not here. I don't know. I think Bankotsu, the one who you think is working for Naraku, is the one who will decide whether he can stay or not," Kagome told her.

_"Rin!"_ called Jaken from fifty feet away.

"Oh, I'd better go! I'll see you soon," Rin called, then scurried away.

"Little Sister, how is it that a human child is in the care of a demon lord?" Suikotsu asked her as he started tying off his patient's last stitch.

"It's a long story. Rin was an orphan, and I think she got attacked by wolves. I think then Sesshomaru rescued her, because I know that we were worried that when Koga and Sesshomaru met up for the first time that there would be a great big problem..."

"Why, were they his wolves?" Suikotsu asked.

"Yeah. Yeah, Koga attacked the village she was living in...Oh, _HOW CAN I BE SO STUPID?"_ Kagome suddenly yelled. It was so loud that the hapless injured village man nearly leaped from the grasscloth mat he'd been resting on.

Suikotsu gaped. "What's the matter Kagome?"

Suddenly, Kagome got very excited. "I have it! I HAVE THE ANSWER!" She looked almost like she was about to cry, she seemed so excited. In spite of his doubting self, Suikotsu was starting to feel a bit of hope for an unknown reason. "Suikotsu! I have the answer to your problems, all of your problems! See, Rin was actually _killed_ by Koga's wolves..."

"Killed? But she's alive, Kagome! How could she have died but be alive?" Suikotsu asked.

"She's a ghost?" the villager asked.

"You're all set. Now, let me talk to my little sister about her idea, please," Suikotsu dismissed him. He seemed all too happy to leave; the talk about death and revival was dangerous to his way of thinking.

"You don't understand!" Kagome protested. "Sesshomaru saved Rin by bringing her back to life! His sword, Tensaiga, it's the Sword that Can Save a Hundred Lives with one stroke! His father gave it to him, as a counterbalance to Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga, which can Destroy a Hundred Lives with one stroke! Don't you see, you can be saved! Sesshomaru can use Tensaiga on you, and you won't need the jewel shards or Naraku any more!"

* * *

_I hope everyone's holiday season was a joyous one. Mine was busy! I'm looking forward to 2008. Well, now we know what might be able to save them. But will Sessh go for it? And even if he does, will it even work? Who can convince Sesshomaru to help the Shichinintai? Stay tuned!_


	27. Moonlit Hope and Despair

_Alright, people, sorry I haven't updated in like over three weeks, but I'm still recuperating from a bad cold. And I'll have you know I skipped filing my income taxes this weekend just so I could totally rewrite this chapter, because the orignal version of how Kagome tells Bankotsu about Sesshomaru's ability just didn't do it for me, and I get this feeling that this new version is going to hit the spot with a lot of you. And just so you understand how much of a sacrifice delaying my income tax return is, I just spent about $850 on car repairs today! So I hope you appreciate it! BTW, this chapter is probably not what one would consider rated T, please feel free to complain (or not) in a review..._

Little Sister

Chapter 27: Moonlit Hope and Despair

Kagome watched Suikotsu's expression as the comprehension of what she said processed through his mind. Then, he slowly looked at his hands, almost as though he was in a trance. "I won't need Naraku to keep me alive anymore..._Oh, Kikyo! We'll be free..._What a blow to that miserable son of a bitch, indeed..." Suikotsu glanced back up at Kagome. "Sesshomaru isn't exactly keen on us. The only way he'd help us like that is if we could convince him that the blow to Naraku would be greater than if he were to deliver it directly himself. Good thing for us that Naraku is beyond Sesshomaru's reach right now on Mount Hakurei..." Kagome saw that malicious glint in the good doctor's eyes. This, she now knew, was the fully integrated version of Suikotsu. Neither completely a saint, nor completely a monster, he was an eloquent blend of both personalities, a brilliant surgeon who didn't fear blood at all, yet had the capacity to be as gentle as a father with a newborn baby. A skilled warrior who had somehow learned the techniques of close, nearly weaponless combat, who could be counted on to show no fear in battle. And it turns out, he's the one who managed to get Kikyo to fall in love with him too.

_That's the reason he despises Naraku. Kikyo must have told him what happened to her and Inuyasha fifty years ago..._ "I wonder if Naraku even knows..." Kagome murmured thoughtfully.

"About me and Kikyo? I doubt it. If he did, he would surely have tried to take me over and order me to destroy her. He's a rather poor loser, this Onigumo," Suikostu answered darkly.

"Suikotsu, do you think we should discuss it with Bankotsu first, then get Sesshomaru? Or ask Sesshomaru first, then talk to Bankotsu?" Kagome asked him.

"We have little time to waste. I don't know where Bankotsu has wandered off to. He was in a rather bad way when I left him to get back to work. But I will tell you this; he would love to hear this kind of news from you. Trust me on this one! As far as Sesshomaru is concerned...we'll simply have to play it by ear. Oh, to be free! Yes, go find Bankotsu!" Suikotsu urged her.

Kagome saw the "mad mercenary" smile then, and, just for a moment, she understood exactly what Kikyo saw in him. _Oh, this is dangerous!_ But then again, didn't Kagome and Kikyo share the same soul? This was the explanation she'd always used in her mind for why they both had feelings for Inuyasha, after all. _Okay, Kags, let's just keep your libido under control here!_ she reminded herself. She had to go find Bankotsu! _Yeah, talking about libido under control! Sure, sure!_

Great, even her head was giving her a hard time!

* * *

The village was getting the last glints of sunshine as it sunk behind the mountains. Bankotsu was brooding as he retreated from the scenes of the attack. Some things were already getting repaired. It actually heartened him somewhat to see that. _These people might not have an army, but they seem to be able to pick up and move on very quickly after trouble strikes. Could it be that they have learned to be that way from frequent demon attacks?_ It must have been because Kikyo had been keeper of the Shikon no Tama. She'd been desperate to be able to safely dispose of it, and this village had finally gotten a break in the fighting once she'd died. But even though her reappearance among them was a harbinger of more trouble, these villagers took it in stride. _Very rare to find such good people. They have understanding that I have all too infrequently seen in anyone. I think we might have been able to live here, if we had been allowed to live at all..._

Once Bankotsu arrived at his destination, the edge of a lake that was reasonably private, he stuck Banryu into the soft grassy ground. For a moment, he just sat on the grass beside her. He closed his eyes and felt the warmth of the breeze on his face. Soon, he will not be able to feel it anymore, so he needed to savor the sensation of it while he still could. He inhaled it deeply, feeling the air reach his lungs. He turned his eyes up to the moon that was rising above the mountains. _I cannot bear to die again!_ He didn't understand why this was so difficult. After all, he'd been beheaded, betrayed by all those who he and his brothers had always thought couldn't live without them. Why was this worse this time?

_"Kagome..." _Of course, she was the answer, she always seemed to be. Tears quietly flowed from his sad eyes. _How can I leave this world now that she's a part of it? But how can I stay in it with a body that's slowly rotting?_

He silently began to remove his armor. At least he could possibly wash off some of the decay. He felt the new jewel shard buried in his bare chest. _Please, please, give me more time, whatever you can spare, I beg you! Just one more day, even! Anything!_ Bankotsu took a breath, and since he did not feel the shroud of the endless dark sleep fall upon him, he stripped the rest of his clothing off and stepped into the lake.

He didn't know that someone had been seeking him for quite some time. It was very fortunate that this someone had wished him no harm. In fact, when she first found Bankotsu sitting on the grass with his head down, she nearly called out to him. However, once Kagome saw him beginning to take his clothes off, so she thought that, well, maybe she should let him bathe, and then she could tell him her news.

_Okay, I admit it. I'm watching him get undressed because I want to watch him get undressed! So sue me!_ Kagome was close enough to see him clearly, yet far enough away so he might not be able to hear her as she dropped down in the taller grass near the bank of the lake and began to slither ever closer. How odd, Kagome thought. Whenever she had caught a glimpse of Inuyasha or Miroku in the nude, she immediately would always turn her eyes away. It felt weird to look at them naked. But not so with Bankotsu! Very vaguely aware that this behavior might get her into a bit of trouble, well, okay, a _lot_ of trouble, Kagome held her breath as Bankotsu waded slowly into the lake. Peeking between grass blades, Kagome got a full view of Bankotsu's backside as he briefly turned to look back at Banryu. _Okay, Jakotsu, you said his ass was cute. You didn't say it was _that _cute! No, make that beautiful! I really need more warning next time!_

Of course, Kagome obviously got virtually no warning when Bankotsu turned back around again, then began to walk deeper into the water. There was only one word that flooded Kagome's fevered mind when she saw the front view...

_Whoa!_

Bankotsu dove into the water. Kagome used this opportunity to sneak back out of the taller grass and then crawl into the shorter grass where he'd be sure to see her. She didn't really want him to think he was being snuck upon; warriors like him tend to get upset when someone sneaks up on them. From her new vantage point, she could see Banryu to her right, and Kagome smiled at her. Banryu was at peace at the moment, so she made no response. Yeah, Kagome was thinking of the weapon as a woman now too. She imagined that everyone thought Bankotsu had been crazy when he referred to her as his "baby" or his "companion." She was his partner; she kept him alive. But now, even she needed Shikon Jewel shards to stay alive. Oh, how wonderful it will be to tell him her news!

She watched him bathe, trying to remember if it was her birthday today. If it wasn't, which it probably wasn't, then it really should have been. It would have been great to celebrate her sixteeth birthday by taking Bankotsu as her lover, but oh, well, looks like her birthday celebration was going to get moved up... But wait, what was she thinking? What if he didn't love her? What if he didn't want her? Come to think of it, he always acted weird around her! What if _she_ was the one who was feeling things that _he_ wasn't!

Just as her wacky mind was starting to get the best of her, Bankotsu fixed his eyes on her. She gasped once she realized he saw her there. "Uh, I...I didn't want you to think I was sneaking up on you, I had something really important to tell you, that's the only reason I stayed here to wait for you to...finish...oh my..."

Bankotsu strode out of the lake, and, well, he was _very_ happy to see Kagome...

_Whoo Hoo, Yee Hoo!_

Kagome wanted to speak but the words were not coming out. It was like word constipation. All she could do is look at... She'd never seen a man when he was like that before. She managed to tear her eyes off his...excitement...and she saw the expression on his face. It was adoring, worshipful, yet mingled with a heartbreaking sadness. She managed to keep from gasping when he settled next to her, taking one of her hands and pressing it to his beautiful face.

"Kagome, if I were to die right at this moment, I would die the happiest man in this world..." he whispered almost feverishly, and she felt like her entire body was going to melt into the grass.

"I didn't mean to seem like I was stalking you or anything!" Kagome said in a rush.

Bankotsu didn't say anything at first, just gave Kagome a sort of lopsided smirk. Then, he finally said, "Forgive me for being rude, please. I...didn't treat you very respectfully just now." He set Kagome and himself back onto the grass and leaned over her halfway, covering part of her body.

"Huh?" Kagome asked a bit dumbly, then she realized he was referring to his...holding nothing back. "Um, that was not _rude,_ that was... no, that was not rude..." Kagome assured him. He smiled and kissed Kagome, much like he had at the well. She nearly groaned when his mouth finally left hers.

"Aren't you cold?" she asked him suddenly.

"My body, at least while I still can maintain some sort of disguise of life, is raging hot at the moment. Why, are you cold, my miko savior?" Bankotsu responded.

"Uh, no, I still have clothes on, which, come to think of it, there's something not quite right about that," Kagome mused.

Bankotsu grasped her hands before they had a chance to start undressing. "No, don't show your beauty to me, or I might not be able to salvage at least a shred of honor," Bankotsu suddenly begged.

"Huh? I...thought you..." Kagome stuttered as tears sprung to her eyes.

"Wanted you? I _do! _And that is my shame! My shame, as I am a decaying corpse that lusts after a beautiful innocent girl who is _living!"_ Bankotsu confessed with a bowed head.

Kagome gasped. She couldn't beleive this! "This is all that Inuyasha's fault! He's the one who kept going on about how you smell like graveyard soil and dead bodies and how you were walking corpses! That _jerk!_ He's just lucky I can't _Sit_ him all the way to New York City, only because New York City doesn't exist yet! Aaaahhhh!" By the time Kagome finished that tirade, she was crying.

Stunned, Bankotsu embraced Kagome and pressed her close to his chest. "Kagome... please, listen to my heart. Can you hear it beating?"

Kagome was too busy sniffling at first, but then settled against his chest and listened. Very carefully. She let out a small gasp.

There was no heartbeat.

"Oh, no..." Kagome nearly fainted, but Bankotsu was still holding her in his strong arms, so though her head was swimming, she remained steady.

"I know you're angry at the moment, but I won't defile the woman I love beyond everything in this world by continuing to touch her with my dead body," he told her sadly.

"You didn't seem so dead a minute ago," Kagome argued as she boldy grasped him, even if she didn't know exactly how to touch him there. But it turned out that Bankotsu's arguement about being dead was quite moot; they don't call it "springing back to life" for nothing... "And you sure don't seem dead now, either! You really love me? Oh, my gosh! You love me!"

Bankotsu couldn't figure out whether he should gasp or scream. The woman he _loved_ was touching him! "Of course I love you. I loved you from the second I laid eyes on you! How could I not?" he finally said. "But, how could you...bear to touch me? After you just heard..."

"Because I love you too! I fell in love with you! _I_ don't smell graveyard soil or a dead body when I smell you. I smell the resin of your armor. I can sometimes get a whiff of patchioli, or worn leather. Whatever it is that I'm smelling, I can tell you one thing: I _love_ the way you smell! When I look at you, I don't think about the fact that you are dead, even though I can see the Sacred Jewel shards in your neck, and now in your chest, I think about how sexy and beautiful you are and how much I love seeing you, hearing you speak, watching you smile! To me, you're alive, and I still want you!"

He bowed his head. "When I die, I can take the sweetest memory I shall ever have with me. You, the woman I love and desire, touched me!" he sighed.

"Okay, that's it! I'm sorry to disappoint you and Inuyasha and Koga for that matter, but you're not going to die anytime soon if I have anything to say about it!" Kagome said stubbornly. "That's what I came here to tell you, that there's a way to bring you all back from the dead, and you'll never need the jewel shards again! And I don't care if I have to twist Sesshomaru's other arm clear off him, he's going to help you!"

_"Sesshomaru?_ Kagome! You must not agitate him, or he'll hurt you! I won't let him hurt you!" Bankotsu gasped.

"Oh, he doesn't scare me so much anymore! I'm not a miko with bad aim for nothing! He gets surly with me, I just poke him with the arrow right up close!" Kagome assured him, no matter how preposterous that actually sounded.

Bankotsu turned away. "No doubt, my powerful miko savior believes that she could find a way to save me from the grave, since she loves me as well! Kagome, with everything in me, I want for this to be possible. But Sesshomaru will not help us. We're humans, in his eyes we're allies of Naraku, his most hated enemy. Besides, how is he supposed to do anything? I don't understand that."

"He's got a way to do it, just trust me on this. Can you trust me?" Kagome asked him.

Bankotsu turned back to face her, and gazed into her eyes. He cupped her face in his hands, and answered, "Yes. I trust you. You have saved my life twice, and you brought me back from the state of death as well. I am yours, completely. I can't believe you love me!" Bankotsu breathed.

"Yes, I love you! And I won't let you die! And you have to promise me something," Kagome warned him.

"I would do anything for you, Kagome," Bankotsu told her fervently.

"Sixteenth birthday, right here, no clothes, and with a heartbeat! Got it?" Kagome ordered him.

Bankotsu gave her a sad smile. "If my heart will ever beat again, I will be here, I swear that to you!"

"Okay! Now, since I've got some _really incredible_ incentive, I've got work to do! If I hang around here anymore, I'm seriously going to forget that it's not my birthday yet..." Kagome grumbled, then hurried away.

Bankotsu watched her go in a dazed state. Then, his head started to clear, and he realized what Kagome meant to do--go to Sesshomaru! "What the hell am I thinking? I can't let her do that!" he gasped aloud, then hurried to dress himself and take up Banryu. _That Kagome! I've never met anyone who was so fearless and yet a female! _Then, he recalled just how bold she was, just now! The heat crept into his body again, and oddly enough, he thought he felt his heart beat again just then...

* * *

Kagome found the God Tree easily in the dark. By now, she knew the way by heart. Just up ahead, leaning against the tree was Sesshomaru. But he hadn't been alone. Suikotsu had just disappeared into the darkness.

At first, Sesshomaru merely glanced at her to sort of acknowledge her presence. She drew a deep slow breath and stepped forward. Almost in an annoyed tone, he spoke at last. "Didn't you just see the one Shichinitai brother leave? Am I to assume that you are here to speak on the same subject? What makes you think that _you _have any influence over my decisions?"

Kagome threw herself to the ground. _"Please help them, don't let them die, I'm begging you!"_ she cried.

"And what possible reason could you give me that would good enough to ignore their obvious flaws?" Sesshomaru scoffed.

"The Shikon Jewel shards, you could take them if you want. They can't go back to Naraku!" Kagome pointed out.

"No, that much is true. Naraku cannot have a completed Shikon no Tama, yet you forget that I want nothing to do with the shards. I have no need for them, they do not enhance my powers in any way, and to me, are worthless, aside from that they fall into the wrong hands that they cause results that I find...intolerable. What am I to do with the shards they offer me? Give them to you, perhaps, so you can have them taken away by Naraku again?" Sesshomaru asked coldly.

"Only Kikyo or I can keep them purified," Kagome reminded him.

"That doesn't reassure me one bit." Sesshomaru was silent. Kagome decided to stay quiet too. Sesshomaru wasn't like Inuyasha, not at all. You could start out thinking you could have a knock-down, drag-out fight with him, only to find that he makes it impossible to do so. But seeing as how he hadn't whipped out Tokijin and prodded Kagome out of his sight with it seemed to give Kagome some sort of hope. As though he read the thought, Sesshomaru frowned and added, "Even if I were to agree to this outrageous request, what they are asking me to do is nearly impossible! When I destroyed their brother, Mukotsu, I noticed that he actually died only when the Shikon Jewel shard dislodged from his neck. From there, he turned to a pile of bones. He'd been dead for years, then resurrected with Naraku's power over the Jewel. Tensaiga does not work like that. I've never attempted to bring a corpse back from the beyond that was so long dead! Tell me, what kind of person is that Suikotsu?" Sesshomaru asked suddenly, totally shifting the conversation, as though this new thought overrode the musings of his mind like a lightning bolt.

_Oh, no! Suikotsu had been the one talking to him before I got here! There's no telling what personality he'd been using!_ Kagome was wary with her answer. "Well, let's put it this way. He's the most complex person, besides you, that I've ever met."

Sesshomaru almost seemed pleased with this answer. "You think that I am complex?"

"Uh, yeah!"

"What about Inuyasha? Do you think he's complex as well?"

"He can be, but nothing like either Suikotsu or you," Kagome answered in her most honest opinion.

"Suikotsu did not offer me the Shikon Jewel shards. He did not try to warn me that Naraku having the jewel shards would be a danger to this world. He did, however, mention what a severe blow to him it would be to lose the ten shards presently in the Shichinintai's possession. I mentioned to him that it would be just as easy for me to simply pull the shard out of his neck right then and there. Do you know what he did?" Sesshomaru asked in a bit of a musing sort of voice.

"No, what did he do?" Kagome asked with dread.

"He said to me that I should just go ahead and pull the shard out. He said that he'd try to fight me for it, but he knew that he would lose. But he pointed out something to me; that if I took the shard and destroyed him, that I would never know if could have brought them back to life. I told him that I didn't care, and that was when he left, just as you arrived."

Kagome's heart nearly stopped when she heard him say that he didn't care. _Oh, Bankotsu, I have to save you and your beloved brothers, but I don't know what to do!_

Sesshomaru's amber eyes stared off into the night for a few moments. The night wind lifted a few strands of his silver hair. He glanced back at her, as though he had expected her to get up and leave. But instead, she clasped her hands under her chin and remained on her knees.

He looked at his hand, his one good clawed hand, and murmured, "I know not whether I have the power to accomplish such a feat. If I were to turn them away, I would never know. I will never have an opportunity like this one..." He glanced up at Kagome. "Get up from the floor. Such getsures from inferior humans only irritate me."

Kagome stood up. Then he looked at her again. "I smell their leader's dead stench on you. Can it be that you are forsaking my brother in favor of him?" She gasped, but didn't answer. Sesshomaru then said to her, "Tell them that they must be ready to leave this village at first light. We must go to the gateway where the world of the living meets the world of the dead. Tell them that they must remove that one from his mechanical apparatus, as he must be returned to death as he was brought into the world, without such things attached to him. This is the only way I can think of to overcome the problem that they have when returning to death. Now, go quickly, for at dawn, I'm leaving with whoever is ready."

Kagome dropped back to her knees and bowed to the ground before Sesshomaru. "_How can I ever thank you?" _she cried.

"Don't thank me. I haven't done it yet," he responded cryptically.

_

* * *

Hope this was worth the wait! _


	28. The Decision

Little Sister

Chapter 28: The Decision

Renkotsu was with Ginkotsu, lying on his platform curled up in a fetal position. The only light came from a dying fire that he'd made out in the forest clearing they'd been using for their camp, since they still had no roof over their heads as of yet. Shippo was with them, perched near Ginkotsu's head. "You should try some of my candy, it's really good!" Shippo offered Renkotsu, who looked like he was depressed.

"I'd love to, but I'm afraid to," Renkotsu told him.

"Why?" Ginkotsu asked.

"My stomach isn't good. I got sick, well, at least that's what I thought it was, two nights ago. Now of course, I realize it must be that my stomach is disintegrating..."

"You never said anything to me!" Ginkotsu said with surprise. "Or at least you should have said something to Suikotsu!"

"He was busy with Big Brother. Besides, I thought I'd be alright! But ever since Suikotsu had said that we might be decomposing, Ginkotsu, I haven't eaten anything. I'm too afraid I'll just hasten my demise," Renkotsu told him.

"Renkotsu, you have to eat, please! That battle we fought certainly had to have drained your energy! Look at Jakotsu!" And as he said that, all three of them looked at Jakotsu, who was still fast asleep. "He's been virutally unconscious since this morning, and you know why that is, don't you?" Ginkotsu argued.

"No, why?" Renkotsu asked.

"Because he doesn't eat enough! He only drinks, too much in my opinion!" Ginkotsu declared.

"I don't think he's sleeping off a long night, Gin. I think he's got a similar problem to me. He'll just never wake up. How peaceful that must be, to just die in your sleep..." Renkotsu mused.

"Please don't say that! That's scary and depressing!" Shippo cried.

"I'm sorry. I should watch my mouth when you're around," Renkotsu sighed.

"You should have some rice porridge. Surely that won't hurt your stomach, and you can actually eat something!" Ginkotsu urged him.

"I won't eat anything if we can't get Jakotsu up!" Renkotsu threatened. "I'll bet he's done for! Just like I'm going to be very soon."

"I can do it! I can wake him up! Watch this!" Shippo told them. He darted to his candy bag and dug through it, getting a plastic bag that had been practically empty. He took the remaining pieces of bubble gum and put them by Renkotsu, then blew some air into the bag. Shippo zipped behind Jakotsu's head and then popped the bag with his hand, making a very large, almost gun-shot sound.

"Aaahhh!" Jakotsu shot up. He blinked and then glared at Ginkotsu. "Did you do that?" Shippo giggled. Renkotsu unwrapped a piece of gum and stuck it in his mouth.

"Hey, you were supposed to have rice porridge!" Ginkotsu fretted.

"Sorry, Mom, I spoiled my dinner," Renkotsu rolled his eyes.

"I'm telling Big Brother you won't eat!" Ginkotsu growled. In response, Renkotsu blew a bubble in Ginkotsu's face. "Gesssh!"

"Yay! He learned how to blow a bubble!" Shippo giggled louder.

"Mmmm...Sweet Tarts! I could use some sugar," Jakotsu commented as he unwrapped one. After he popped a couple in his mouth, Jakotsu asked, "Where is Bankotsu, anyway?"

"We haven't seen him all day!" Ginkotsu reported. "Ever since Suikotsu said what he did...I think Big Brother took it very hard."

"He's the one who needs to be most worried, since he's the one who's been most injured. My gunshot wound happened when we were nearly freshly resurrected, and I'm completely healed from it. What's this about rice porridge? You sick, Renkotsu?" Jakotsu asked. "Where's Suikotsu?"

"Have no idea. Haven't seen him practically all day either," Renkotsu answered.

"What about Little Sister?"

"I think she went to look for Bankotsu," Ginkotsu guessed. Almost as his name was spoken, however, Big Brother appeared. And he seemed very agitated.

"Have you seen Kagome? What about Suikotsu, where the hell is he?"

"We were just saying that we haven't seen either of them. Where were you?" Jakotsu asked.

"I have to find her, I think she might be with Sesshomaru!" Bankotsu fretted, then started to leave, but just then, Suikotsu arrived. "Have you seen Kagome lately?" Bankotsu demanded.

"Well, I saw her coming over to talk to Sesshomaru," Suikotsu told him.

_"Are you out of your mind! You left her with him after you saw what he did to me?"_ Bankotsu nearly shrieked.

"Let her talk to him! She knows him better than we do! I have no doubt you know what she's talking to him about," Suikotsu warned him.

"He could kill her!" Bankotsu growled.

"I doubt that very seriously," Suikotsu shrugged. This didn't go over well with Bankotsu. He huffed and stomped with Banryu on his shoulder. "Have you told the others yet?"

"I only just now found out myself, and _how dare you make a deal like this without consulting me!"_ Bankotsu yelled.

Suikotsu almost appeared a very slight bit contrite. "You were nowhere around when Kagome told me about this! I had to make the decision to act immediately, for all our sakes. I found Sesshomaru before Kagome found you, so I decided to run the idea by him."

"I can't beleive that you managed to walk away from him without him killing you," Bankotsu frowned.

"He'll do it. He can't help himself..." Suikotsu assured Bankotsu.

"What is Sesshomaru going to do? I'm supposed to be second in command here, or have you forgotten that too?" Renkotsu pouted. "Nobody tells me anything anymore!"

"Well, you've been too busy feeling sorry for yourself to notice anything going on today," Suikotsu snapped.

"You know, I hardly ever do this, but I have to agree with Renkotsu. Ever since we've been brought back, I haven't really understood what the hell we're supposed to be doing, except for the fact that now, of course, we don't work for this Naraku anymore. Like a perfect example was that last battle we fought when we kidnapped Little Sister. You sprung on us that we needed to get Koga's jewel shards out of his legs. You know, I had met up with him once before that battle. What if by some chance I had managed to defeat him? Would I have even known to collect the jewel shards out of his legs? No, because no one told me to!" Jakotsu complained.

"Jakotsu! Come on, you know better than that! You've always been a self-starter," Bankotsu responded.

"Big Brother, he's right, you aren't being forthcoming like you used to be. You got into this nasty habit of keeping us all in the dark until it's too late. What's going on with Kagome that's got you so worked up? Please tell us!" Renkotsu urged him.

_"I'll_ tell you what's going on! Kagome and I have figured out a way that we can live without the jewel shards, and it's through Sesshomaru. I guess it's a good thing that we didn't kill him like Naraku wanted us to, isn't it?" Suikotsu pointed out.

Before any of the other brothers even had a chance to understand what Suikotsu was telling them, Kagome came running to them all with tears streaking down her face. She threw herself into Bankotsu's arms, and he caught her with his available arm. All the brothers were watching this and wondering whether they should speak or not. Finally, Kagome looked into Bankotsu's eyes and smiled.

"He...He agreed?" Bankotsu gasped.

Kagome sniffled and nodded.

Suikotsu simply smirked. "I knew he would..."

"What did you say to him? He usually doesn't even listen to a human, let alone agree to do anything they suggest!" Kagome demanded to know. Suikotsu simply shrugged and Kagome then said, "Well, that's no answer!"

"It's too hard to explain," Suikotsu smirked, as though he knew he was provoking Kagome.

"Jerk! You'll have to tell me sometime! Anyway, Sesshomaru left right after he told me that Ginkotsu needs to be taken...um...apart. Sorry, Ginkotsu."

"Will I really be able to live without the jewel shard in my neck? But how am I going to get around without this? The jewel shard's power helps propel this machine," Ginkotsu asked her.

"Sesshomaru insisted that you are supposed to be out of all the metal. In fact, I think he wants you as close to your natural state as possible. He wouldn't trouble anyone with that order unless he thought it was important. And you need to be ready by dawn. He can't use Tensaiga on you guys here. He needs to take you to a place where the gateway between life and death is...I don't really understand all the reasons why, but he didn't think he could use Tensaiga on you if you were piles of bones." Kagome sat by Ginkotsu for a moment. Renkotsu sat next to her, but looked straight at Bankotsu.

"Kagome, I'm sure you and Suikotsu thought your idea was a good one. But Sesshomaru wants to kill us all. He's going to take us to this place so that we will be returned to the world of the dead. We will indeed die if we go with him tomorrow. Although, I'm sure this way will hurt a great deal less than the last time, and it's probably the most humane method of killing someone that I've ever heard of..." Renkotsu sighed. "Better than dying of diarrhea, even! Yes, maybe I'll go along with you just so that I can die peacefully and without pain. I must say, Sesshomaru is quite kind to want to help us die so painlessly. I guess all we'll do is walk through a gateway, right? Just taking a few steps? That's not so bad this time around, is it? What do you think, Ginkotsu? After all we've been through?"

"No, you're completely wrong, Renkotsu, he really wants to use Tensaiga to bring you all back to life!" Kagome told him.

"Little Sister, why does Sesshomaru want to bring us back?" Ginkotsu asked.

"I'll tell you why, Ginkotsu. It's because he wants to know that he really can do something so seemingly impossible. That's why he's so keen to do it. He'd never bother having you removed from your armor if all he was going to do is kill us." Suikotsu told him.

"That's exactly what he was saying to me!" Kagome agreed.

"Alright, it's simple. We put it to a vote, which is what we should have done in the first place, instead of Suikotsu taking matters into his own hands. If you are in favor, say yes. Suikotsu?" Bankotsu asked.

"Yes, I will go tomorrow morning," he answered.

"Jakotsu?"

"Yes," he nodded. "I have more reason to want to live than ever."

"Ginkotsu?"

"Little Sister? Do you really believe him?" Ginkotsu asked.

"Yes, I do."

"Then, I say yes. Because even if he is unsuccessful, it can't really be worse than what I have now. I'm sorry Renkotsu."

"Renkotsu?" Bankotsu asked in a very sharp tone.

The strategist began to breathe a bit harder. "I don't want to die!"

Bankotsu walked up to Ginkotsu's platform, and eyed Renkotsu. "Ren. You know what my answer is going to be. You'll be outvoted four to one. I want my heart to beat again. Haven't you noticed that the decision is getting made for us?"

"Yes, Big Brother, I have. I was just saying that I haven't eaten anything since this morning, because I've been sick."

"How sick? What's wrong?" Suikotsu asked.

"Well, unless you have an extra jewel shard to shove up my ass, you can't help me!" Renkotsu snapped.

"Renkotsu, I'm going to be reasonable with you. You and all of us have been through death before. You know how it is to be dead. Someday, we will go back to the world of the dead again, it's inevitable," Bankotsu began in a very steady tone.

"I know..." Renkotsu answered with a sullen voice. "But didn't Naraku promise you that we'd live forever if we had the jewel shards?"

"Renkotsu, we went over this. You know that Naraku will take these jewel shards back. He's not going to care that we helped him. He'll only care that he needs to have the Shikon no Tama complete, which can't happen unless he has our jewel shards back," Bankotsu said in that same reasonable tone.

"Yes, you're right. He's not one to keep his word. I...guess I'll go then. I...don't know what comes over me, you're all completely right about Naraku, and yet I keep resisting," Renkotsu admitted.

"Ren, if you hadn't agreed to go with us, I would have dragged you there myself by your cock, since you don't have hair," Bankotsu informed him, and everyone laughed. Renkotsu eyed him, then leaned back into Ginkotsu's bulk. "Now, do you need my help taking Ginkotsu out of his armor?"

"No, no, I won't need all night to take him out. You really think he means everything, Kagome?" Renkotsu asked her.

"I would take everything off him. Sesshomaru must have a reason for this, so I'd do it," Kagome answered.

"Fine. I'll be a few hours at least."

"Well, if we have a few hours until we have to leave with Sesshomaru..." Jakotsu began slowly.

"Jakotsu, are you thinking of going through the well? Now?" Bankotsu asked sharply. His brother's dark eyes were pleading silently. "Dammit, Jakotsu, if you're not back by dawn, when I see you again I'm gonna wring your skinny neck!" he warned.

"Don't worry, Big Brother! I promise I'll be back! Kags, are you going to come with me?" Jakotsu asked.

"Maybe only for a minute. There's something I need to get from my house. Bankotsu, do you want to come with us to the well?" Kagome offered.

"Yes, I'll come with you."

"I've got a few things I need to take care of as well," Suikotsu told them all.

"Yeah, like getting some rest! When's the last time you slept?" Jakotsu snapped at the doctor.

"Well, since _he's_ been asleep ever since I spoke to Sesshomaru, _I_ won't need any sleep until a couple of hours from now," Suikotsu told them.

"And the scary thing is that I was actually able to follow all that," Renkotsu murmured to Ginkotsu. "Fine, Suikotsu, just so long as you know I'm not dragging your ass back to the World of the Dead, I'm going to be taking Ginkotsu."

"You are?" Ginkotsu asked.

"Well of course I am! Since you're making me do this at all, I might as well carry you there," Renkotsu sighed.

"No, you have to eat!" Ginkotsu insisted.

"Rice porridge, coming up!" Shippo said at once, then popped into thin air.

"Ginkotsu!" Renkotsu grumbled.

"Well, if you're going to carry me, you'll need strength," Ginkotsu argued.

"He's right, Renkotsu! Eat up and stop making this fuss," Bankotsu ordered him.

"Okay fine, but if I have to take a shit with you on my back, you're going to be sorry, Ginkotsu!" Renkotsu warned.

_Sorry, short chapter, but I've got chapter 29 virtually all ready to go, so I'll be updating this one faster, I promise!_


	29. Leavetaking

Little Sister

Chapter 29: Leavetaking

Jakotsu plunged into the well first. Since he now knew where his beloved Toshiro lived, he'd be able to get there straightaway. When he emerged from the well in the shrine, he smiled. He knew he'd have a lot of explaining to do to Toshiro, but he also knew he couldn't leave him behind and not tell him what was about to happen to him.

"So, this might very well be the last time I see my beloved Hojo. Well, I have to look at it this way. If I die tomorrow, or a hundred years from now, it won't matter much. I never expected to come back to this world once I left it. Who thinks that they will be brought back in ten years when the see the sword coming down on their neck? If Bankotsu hadn't made that deal with Naraku, I would never have met the love of my life... That alone is all I need." And with that Jakotsu hurried off.

* * *

"I don't understand. You used to be dead, and you had been executed? Why were you executed? How could you be here, alive, if you're really dead?" Hojo asked. Unfortunately, all Jakotsu could see of his beloved's face were his eyes, since he was wearing a strange paper mask over his nose and mouth. But those eyes said enough.

"Give me your hand, my beloved," Jakotsu suggested. Toshiro was reluctant, because, according to him, he was ill with a cold, and did not want to spread the infection to Jakotsu. Jakotsu didn't argue the point, not only because he didn't wish to upset Toshiro, but also because, if Suikotsu was correct and the Band of Seven were indeed deteriorating, then a cold could literally be the death of him. He didn't want to die before Sesshomaru could save him, after all. Finally, Toshiro gave him his hand. Jakotsu guided Toshiro's hand to his neck. Toshiro's eyes narrowed, and then he gasped. "Jakotsu, what is that?"

"It is a shard of the Shikon no Tama. It's a powerful stone that bestows incredible powers to the one who possesses it. Even a small shard like this one can keep me from becoming a pile of bones again. A demon gave me this shard. But I think he's just about done needing my services, and I think he's going to be wanting this shard back. That's why I am here tonight, in your bed-room, looking at you with a strange mouthguard on, literally holding my life in your hand. By the way, do you have any chocolate?"

Hojo nearly laughed. "Comfort food? I have something even better, if you want to wait here for just a minute. Now, don't move, I'll be right back," he assured Jakotsu.

While Hojo was gone, Jakotsu literally didn't move a muscle. How strange this is, that he would be so paralyzed. Besides, what could be better than chocolate? Very fortunately, Toshiro was only gone a minute. He had a bowl with what looked like a lot of chocolate substance in it.

"This is ice cream. Chocolate ice cream, to be exact. Wow, are you alrgiht, Jakotsu? Why aren't you even blinking? Oh, no, are you..." Toshiro gasped. He got very panicked. He had no idea that Jakotsu had been so close to death, er, again. "Oh, Jakotsu, snap out of it. Look, I have chocolate for you, come and try it! Please!"

And just like that, the strange spell was broken, and Jakotsu was able to move again. He happily took the bowl of ice cream and said, "I don't know what came over me, but I'm glad it's over. It was like I couldn't move once you told me not to. Isn't that weird? Wow, this is wonderful! But it's so cold, my teeth hurt from it!"

"Be careful, Jakotsu, eat it slowly," Toshiro suggested.

Obediently, Jakotsu slowly consumed the ice cream. In fact, it was so slowly that it turned to mush, then to soup, long before he finished it. But in the meantime, he and Toshiro talked quietly, mostly about all the stuff they wanted to do together once they had the chance. In fact, Toshiro pointed out that it was almost "four in the morning" which though it made no real sense to Jakotsu, it did remind him that he needed to leave.

"I...I'm very scared, but I know I can't go on much longer like this. My beloved, as soon as I am back from this journey, you will be the first person I will seek, I promise you," Jakotsu assured him.

"Jakotsu, I know you have to leave, but please, just wait one more minute," Toshiro instructed him. Again, that odd paralysis took Jakotsu over as Toshiro grabbed a gadget that looked very much like the cam-era that Big Brother had. "Smile!" Toshiro ordered him, and though he was in terrible turmoil emotionally, Jakotsu gave Toshiro a huge smile. After the bright light flashed in his eyes, Jakotsu stood there while Toshiro threw himself into his arms and began to cry very softly. "I love you," he told Jakotsu.

Jakotsu wanted desperately to embrace him and tell him the same thing, but he couldn't move! Fortunately, Toshiro realized this. "Oh, no! You're stuck again! Wait, I bet I know what's wrong. I told you to wait, so you're waiting. If I say, 'hold me,' will you do it?"

"You bet I will!" Jakotsu cried, finally able to hug Toshiro back and say, "I love you too."

* * *

Meanwhile, Suikotsu made his way into the village. He glanced up at the sky, and saw the soul catchers drifting over his head, some of them holding bright lights in their tiny clutches. Was that what his soul had looked like? He pondered that as he followed the ethereal creatures to their mistress.

Kikyo looked very sad as each bright light they offered her planted itself in her chest. Suikotsu waited and watched as she filled herself with the souls of other dead women. _Soon, if I have my way, she'll never have to do this again. And she'll never need to have those sad eyes._ Only his fellow brothers of the Band knew what Suikotsu had once been able to do. And since Kikyo possessed immense spiritual powers, what he was planning to do would be easy to do.

"I see you're back. Sesshomaru agreed to help you?" Kikyo asked.

"Yes, he did. But he can't do it here. So, I have to leave the village in the morning. I pray that you don't get attacked again," Suikotsu said to her as he greeted her with an embrace.

"You can't delay, Naraku could be coming for you any day. He has stopped maintaining you with the Shikon Jewel, and he's done this so that he can emerge from wherever he's hiding and simply collect the shards from you. I have a feeling Sesshomaru might know this too," Kikyo pointed out.

"Oh, I harbor no illusions when it comes to Sesshomaru's alleged benevolence," Suikotsu nearly laughed. "But if my brothers and I can benefit from Naraku's and Sesshomaru's feud, so be it!" He embraced her even closer with his confidence giving him strength.

* * *

"Okay, Ginkotsu, I'm about three quarters done. This is the rough part," Renkotsu warned him. Metal parts were strewn everywhere in the clearing. The fire had to be rekindled just so Renkotsu would have enough light to work, but he still wasn't quite done. Ginkotsu was very patient, but once Renkotsu tried to unscrew something from his jaw, he protested with a growl. "Oops, sorry, Gin, wrong hole," Renkotsu said.

"Heh, that's what you probably say to the women too," Ginkotsu quipped.

Renkotsu snorted. "In a few minutes, I doubt you're going to have much to say, seeing as how your jaw will be disabled, but don't worry, I'll remember that one, Ginkotsu. You're just damned lucky that the kitsune is asleep over there, or you'd be hearing it from Kagome."

"What about Kagome? Where is she?" they heard a voice calling. Renkotsu turned around.

"It's Inuyasha! He's finally gotten back here, Gin," Renkotsu told the disabled brother.

"Where is everybody? The battle was bad, wasn't it? There's an awful lot of burial mounds outside the village," Inuyasha pointed out unhappily. "And I saw the infirmary on the eastern side of the village! How big was this army?" Inuyasha growled.

"We calculated it was an advance party, maybe ten percent of the entire army it came from. Our discovery about Sesshomaru couldn't be at a worse time for this village!" Renkotsu reported.

"What discovery? What's my brother doing here, anyway?" Inuyasha asked.

"He came back, thinking he'd find a battle to fight," Renkotsu huffed.

"He's always looking for trouble. What else is new?" Inuyasha scoffed.

"Let me ask you this. Have your friends come back with you?" Renkotsu asked.

"Sure, as soon as we heard about the attack, we rushed back to the village, especially because of Kagome. You know, speaking of that, I heard a really crazy rumor about her..." Inuyasha ventured.

"It's true. Every word," Ginkotsu managed to say.

"With _Banryu? _You must be kidding! She can't shoot an arrow straight to save her life or anyone else's. She can't even pick that ridiculous thing up, let alone swing it!" Inuyasha laughed.

"As for her marksmanship, I think Ginkotsu and I can help her improve, once we get back from our little trip we're taking with Sesshomaru later today, once the sun rises," Renkotsu smirked.

"What are you doing with him? Why are you going off when the village needs you?" Inuyasha yelled.

And that was when they all heard someone else coming by. "Oh, so now you want them around? Now that you need them, I guess they're not so dead after all, are they!"

"Little Sister, it's not really Inuyasha's fault, we _are_ his enemies, after all. How can you expect him to forget that Naraku brought us back?" Renkotsu asked smoothly.

"They're only leaving because they won't survive much longer if they stay here. You are going to have to protect the village now, until they get back!" Kagome yelled.

"What were you doing with Banryu? Isn't that your corpse 'Big Brother's' weapon?" Inuyasha asked her.

"There were thousands of soldiers, Inuyasha! If it hadn't been for Kagome, this village would either have been overrun or taken over completely by this invading army," Renkotsu said finally.

"Yes, such a pity I missed it!" an aristocratic voice sighed from behind the growing group by the fire.

Inuyasha turned first and spat, "Sesshomaru! Why are you looking so pouty. Don't worry, there's bound to be more coming."

"Perhaps, but if this mortal you consort with actually does have the abilities you've been boasting of, then they might think it wiser that they not return. That's what makes this double the pity, now. First I miss the battle, and now I find out that Kagome is the one that stopped the invading hordes!" Sesshomaru did indeed pout a bit to make his point.

"And by the way, where is that _stinky corpse_ Bankotsu?" Inuyasha growled.

"I'm right here, Inuyasha! And let me tell you something. If I ever hear you talking about Little Sister's lack of skills in battle again, I'll give her full leave to show you just how good she is!" Bankotsu told him in a deadly tone.

"That would be entertaining," Sesshomaru nearly laughed.

"Yes, the commander whose head was split clean in half in the same swing she hacked off his arm would agree that she's _very_ entertaining," Renkotsu said.

"Why are we arguing about this? I agree with Sesshomaru, for once. The idea is ridiculous. That would be like saying _Kikyo_ was hacking people apart!" Inuyasha snorted.

"What's this about Kikyo? Oh, you're finally back, are you? Well good, now you and your friends can stay here, and make sure that if the invading army decides to make another go at taking this village over, tha you at least get enough advance warning to get everyone to safety," Suikotsu said with a bit of relief in his voice.

"Hey, we have jewel shards to collect! We don't have time to stay here while you go off somewhere for whatever reason!" Inuyasha argued. "What's the hurry, anyway? Oh, wait, now I get it! You walking corpses are _decomposing_ aren't you?" Inuyasha accused them. "I knew that stink of yours has gotten worse for a reason!"

"Inuyasha, I told you not to call them that again! Besides, if they are walking corpses, what does that make Kikyo?" Kagome snapped.

"This has nothing to do with Kikyo! She's not rotting outside her grave, is she?" Inuyasha asked. Kagome glanced very briefly at Suikotsu, who had no expression on his face. _Which side of him is inside right now? The good doctor, or the madman killer? _Did Suikotsu know about Inuyasha's past with Kikyo?

"Well of course not, she doesn't even have her own body anymore! It's made of enchanted clay with her ashes mixed in! Remember, because I sure do!" Kagome huffed.

"Little Sister, are you sure of that? She does not seem as though she is made of clay to me," Suikotsu said with a sly tone, which could only indicate to her that he was in "mad killer" mode and decided to bait Inuyasha.

Of course, Inuyasha grabbed onto the bait with both clawed hands. "Just what do you mean by that? You don't mean... She wouldn't do that with _you_ of all people!" Inuyasha spat.

"And why wouldn't she?" Suikotsu asked him.

Inuyasha leaped forth and grabbed Suikotsu by the throat. _"You bastard! She was a virgin!"_

Kagome watched this whole exchange with a little horror mixed in with relief. Horror in that Inuyasha's feelings for Kikyo are now completely out in the open for all to see, and relief for the same reason. _Now, who could blame me for wanting to be with Bankotsu?_

"Let him go, Inuyasha!" called a voice from beyond all of them. It was Kikyo, with her purifying arrow pointed right at him.

_"Kikyo? _This can't be true! I don't believe it!" Inuyasha cried. Suikotsu took the opportunity to free himself of Inuyasha's grasp by pressing his fingers into a pressure point on Inuyasha's wrist that forced him to release his fingers, and Suikotsu slipped to the ground. "Oh, no you don't you slippery scum!" Inuyasha made to grab him again.

_"Sit, boy!"_ Kagome finally yelled, and Inuyasha was hurled to the ground. He growled, but said nothing. The other brothers were all staring pretty slack-jawed at the entire display.

But just in case one would think that Inuyasha's humiliation was not complete, Sesshomaru had watched Inuyasha's public display of misplaced affection. "That you would still care that the woman who pinned you to a tree fifty years ago has chosen another and moved on with her life shows how truly like our father you are, Inuyasha," Sesshomaru said.

_"You shut up! You know nothing about what happened!"_ Inuyasha screamed, getting up.

"No Sesshomaru doesn't, but I do. I hope this will be enough to help you finally get over Kikyo, Inuyasha," Kagome said sadly. She inched closer to Bankotsu, trying not to make Inuyasha feel even worse, right that very second.

"Kagome, wait! I'm sorry!" Inuyasha said in panic.

"Are you done there yet? It is almost dawn, and you've been distracted," Sesshomaru asked Renkotsu, now totally ignoring his pathetic younger brother.

"We'll be ready in a few moments, I hope," Renkotsu told him.

"Has your other brother come back?" Sesshomaru then asked Bankotsu.

"I'm right here!" Jakotsu puffed as he hurried over to the group by the fire. "Hey, did I miss something?"

"It's nothing for you to bother yourself about. Nothing at all," Bankotsu answered, glaring down at Inuyasha.

"Let's get ready to leave, then," Renkotsu told him.

"Right," Kagome said, helping Renkotsu take Ginkotsu away from the bad energy in that area. "Big Brother, are you coming?"

"In just a minute." He waited in silence until everyone was gone. Then, he turned to Inuyasha. "You're days of hurting Kagome's pride are over!" Bankotsu said in an urgent whisper.

"Oh, don't think I don't know what you're after. Well, your brother might have gotten to Kikyo, but you aren't getting anywhere near Kagome!" Inuyasha growled back.

"One of these days, Inuyasha, we'll be able to properly have it out, without jewel shards and Naraku to worry about. Just you and me. Banryu and Tetsusaiga."

"Heh, I'll be waiting for you," Inuyasha responded as the sun began to rise.

_Next, the trip to the Netherworld and what happens when they get there!_


	30. Between This World and the Next

Little Sister

Chapter 30: Between this World and the Next

It was a solemn procession that left the village that morning. Ginkotsu (what was left of him, anyway), was tucked into an oversized makeshift baby sling and Renkotsu carried him on his back. Kagome was crying, but she managed to give every brother a kiss goodbye before she did.

"Kagome, you must take her," Bankotsu told her, then handed her Banryu. "If that army returns, you will be able to fight with the Lady at your side."

"Banktosu, don't you need this?" Kagome gasped.

"There is one jewel shard left in her as well, so you should make certain that it stays in your hands," he continued without really answering her. Then, he gave her a chaste kiss on her forehead, and turned around to leave, before he lost his nerve.

"How's your stomach?" Suikotsu asked Renkotsu later. They were travelling down a rocky path. Steam seethed from nearly active volcanoes pressed against the earth. The Land of Fire loomed before them, and the air was faintly ashen. Sesshomaru only told them that they needed to keep up and that he wasn't stopping. Their destination would be reached near twilight, but only if they kept moving.

"After I stopped two hours ago, I've been alright," Renkotsu reported.

"Geh," Ginkotsu piped up.

"Hey, I warned you," Renkotsu told him.

"Geh," Ginkotsu sighed.

Bankotsu moved to walk alongside them. "Listen, just give Gin to me the next time you have to stop, Renkotsu," he suggested.

"I will, Big Brother, but I think I'm alright now. Shippo took good care of me. After the rice porridge, he also made me some tea, so I could stay awake while taking Ginkotsu apart. I don't suppose Little Sister ever told you why Shippo travels with Inuyasha and them, did she?" Renkotsu queried.

"No, the subject hadn't come up yet. Why?"

"Well, remember Hiten and Manten?" Renkotsu asked.

"Hiten and Manten..." Bankotsu furrowed his brow, trying to think of the faces behind the names.

"Deeemons..." Ginkotsu managed to say.

"Demons? Oh, you mean those two brothers that would keep interrupting our battles with lightning attacks!" Jakotsu gasped.

"Yes, very good, Jakotsu. The Thunder Brothers."

"Hmmm. They had this habit of coming along just as the battles were at their height, and start killing everyone. Which of course, left fewer people for _us_ to kill, which would always put me in a seriously bad mood," Bankotsu growled.

"It wasn't just you they put in a bad mood! I get headaches just thinking about those two jerks!" Suikotsu complained. "And then, Sesshomaru, if you could believe it, the one time we actually called them out, they never showed up! We set up a whole battle and everything. Although, I guess we got to kill a lot of people, so maybe it wasn't a total waste..."

"I guess there really is a silver lining to every cloud," Sesshomaru finally said, with just the barest hint of sarcasm in his cold voice.

"You know, with this battle we just fought, I'm kind of surprised they didn't show up," Jakotsu said thoughtfully.

"Well, that's just my point. I tried to warn Shippo, on our way back from Master Mushin's as he carried me through the air, that they might show up and make things even more dangerous. And that was when he told me that my worries about them were in vain, because they are dead. Inuyasha had killed them, with Little Sister's help, from what he told me."

"Damn! Inuyasha killed them before we got a chance!" Bankotsu frowned.

"Yes, but not before they had a chance to kill Shippo's father. He realized that if only we hadn't been executed, that there was a very good chance that we might have been able to take them out, before they had a chance to kill the fox demon," Renkotsu concluded.

"So that's why he's sort of attached himself to you?" Jakotsu asked.

"Geh," Ginkotsu answered for his brother.

"Hey, you know, most of the candy that Kags gets for him is purchased at my beloved Toshiro's apothocary," Jakotsu pointed out.

"Oh, you are going to have to tell me absolutely everything about this future time! Kagome won't tell us much, and I must know how you went through that well!" Renkotsu demanded.

"Renkotsu, I don't think you'd like it too much. Lord Sesshomaru, have you ever heard of an evil god named Geepee-ess?" Jakotsu asked.

Sesshomaru blinked. "No, I haven't." He didn't sound happy about this.

"Why, what does this evil god do? Kagome never mentioned him," Bankotsu said.

"He watches over all. They must carry devices around with them called 'cell phones' that he uses to track them," Jakotsu told them.

"Ja, I have a feeling that it's not a god that's watching them, but some sort of metal rocket they have sent into the sky. I read about them in Kagome's books!" Renkotsu said. "Can you imagine a rocket with enough power to send it so high up that it passes through the clouds and so far up that the sun disappears?"

"They have metal bird rockets that Kagome says transport people," Jakotsu added.

"Yes! They are called air-planes! Can you imagine going into an airplane?" Renkotsu asked breathlessly.

"I wouldn't want to go up in one! They are so noisy from way up above, the noise when you're _inside_ one must make you deaf!" Jakotsu argued.

"Jakotsu, how can you have an attitude like that? I'd give _anything_ to see such marvels!" Renkotsu said in a growing state of mania.

"Wow, imagine that people got so smart that they were actually able to figure all those things out, like trigonometry and rockets..." Suikotsu said very thoughtfully.

"Now, that is a point I'd sincerely love to debate with you," Sesshomaru said sharply. "I don't believe that humans invented any of it! I say it was the work of demons."

"Actually, when I asked Toshiro about demons, he said he never saw one in his life," Jakotsu said.

"Oh? I challenge you to recall the stupidest thing you've ever seen a human do," Sesshomaru said to Suikotsu.

Suikotsu looked bleak. "Why, do you really want to know?"

"I'd love to," Sesshomaru grinned, nearly.

"Well, I saw someone stick a firework in his ass," Suikotsu admitted. The other brothers, except Renkotsu, began to howl with laughter.

"What the hell do you think is so funny? That someone would purposely lodge an explosive in his ass is not funny, it's depressing! Depressing that human intelligence could reach such a low point!" Renkotsu clarified angrily.

"Well, there's your problem. Human intelligence, now there's an oxymoron for you!" Sesshomaru responded with a note of triumph in his voice.

"Oh, really? Well, I think that question was a set up! I notice you didn't ask us if we could recall the most _intelligent _thing a human has ever done, nor did you ask us if we could recall the most stupid thing a _demon_ has ever done!" Renkotsu pointed out angrily.

"I didn't want to challenge you too much by making you recall such obscure rare things. Stupid is more easily recalled than smart, especially with humans," Sesshomaru pointed out smugly. Renkotsu huffed a bit more angrily. "You know, I almost feel sorry for you. You're a human, yet you've gotten a glimpse of the infinity that is just beyond your grasp, since you are indeed a human and have no hope of ever reaching it. To see it, but to never reach it... Yes, you remind me of Inuyasha's mother that way. She was a most tragic figure indeed."

"Hmph, great! Well, what were you doing there, anyway?" Renkotsu turned on Suikotsu.

"Well, I suppose that they wanted a doctor there in case he fused his asshole shut," Suikotsu answered, to a renewed round of howling from Jakotsu and Bankotsu. Even Ginkotsu managed to eke out some chuckles. Suikotsu watched Sesshomaru's expression. He noticed the dog demon trying not to look interested. "It's alright, Sesshomaru. You can ask me if it did or not."

Sesshomaru turned hurriedly and strode several feet away. "His sphincter must have tightened up involuntarily as the sparks started, so the firework didn't just shoot out like he'd planned," Suikotsu elaborated. Bankotsu and Jakotsu laughed even harder, and Jakotsu even had to wipe tears of laughter off his eyes. After a few more moments, Sesshomaru backtracked so fast it seemed as though he had been gliding. He glared at Suikotsu, who slowly smirked. "Oh, don't worry Sesshomaru. Other than his sac getting singed, he made out alright. I didn't have to poke a new hole in his ass for him." This time, all the brothers, even Renkotsu, laughed.

In fact, Jakotsu laughed so hard that he began to cough, as sometimes people do. But the cough didn't stop, even though the laughter died once the brothers saw what was happening. "Jakotsu! Are you _bleeding?"_ Bankotsu gasped. "Sui! Hurry, he's coughing up blood!"

The doctor tried to get to Jakotsu, but he backed away. "I...I'll be alright. I...I've just been having a little trouble breathing, that's all. Toshiro was wearing a funny mask last night, and he said it was because he was sick. I bet I caught it. I don't have a mask, and I don't want to get any of you sick too. We're too vulnerable!"

"No! I'm not leaving you behind, Jakotsu! Come on, once we get to this place, we'll be alright again," Bankotsu assured him.

"He's right. After all, once you enter the gates inside the cave, your worldly illnesses will be a moot point. So, if you can keep up, we must be on our way," Sesshomaru pointed out.

"Let me help you," Bankotsu said, helping Jakotsu keep up their pace by having him lean on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Big Brother, but I had to go! I had to see him one last time. Big Brother, don't you understand? _I love him!"_ Jakotsu said with an urgent whisper.

"Great, Gin. Looks like we've got a Little Brother..." Renkotsu murmured to his friend.

Twilight fell. It was already quite dark in the narrow mountain pass. Jakotsu was trying desperately not to gasp for breath. Renkotsu's stomach was growling very loudly. Ginkotsu had fallen asleep a while back. Sesshomaru turned to look at the humans he had pledged to try and bring back from death. Suikotsu met his gaze, but Bankotsu was nearly unable to. "We are nearly there. There are two guards at the gate. They are there to ensure that those who pass through are indeed dead."

"Well, they'll probably let us in with no problem, but what about you?" Renkotsu asked.

"Last evening, after I agreed to do this, I had to make a plan as to exactly how to do this. I have been in the World of the Dead before, once. My father is buried here. In his grave, he kept Tetsusaiga. He had hidden a key into this place in Inuyasha's eye. After that one time we used it, we could not use it again. Therefore, I must use another key. I pondered this for a while, but then realized that the key that was in Inuyasha's eye was originally for Inuyasha to use to get to Tetsusaiga, not for me to use. I already had a key, all that while, as you can see..." Sesshomaru explained. Banktosu felt the presense of magic, powerful and ancient. He then noticed Sesshomaru's "key" beginning to glow.

"It's Tensaiga itself!" he marvelled, but Sesshomaru, in his typical fashion, didn't respond, but kept walking. The Shichinitai followed Sesshomaru down the path a little further, and then, came to the mouth of a cave.

"That's it, isn't it?" Renkotsu asked.

"This is the cave that holds the Gateway," Sesshomaru answered.

"Stars," Ginkotsu sighed.

"Stars? Oh, yeah, he's right, the stars are coming out," Jakotsu said breathlessly. "Let's just look at them, just for a moment, okay?"

"Sure, let's look at them. You know, those same stars are over our loved one's heads right about now too," Suikotsu pointed out. For a few moments, they all reflected on who was being left behind. Even Sesshomaru found himself looking up, and thinking of Rin, hoping that Jaken was making sure she was eating properly and that Aun was being tended to...

"You all have been dead before. Is it so bad, being dead?" Sesshomaru asked, not really expecting an answer.

"Not in and of itself. I don't recall anything that happened while I was dead. But now...we have too much in this realm, too much that we want to do, and see, and be," Bankotsu answered him.

"Then, we must proceed!" Sesshomaru announced. He glanced down at Tensaiga in it's scabbard, but did not remove it just yet. How exactly he was to do this, he wasn't certain, but the glow proved to him that his theory was correct. Moreover, he was beginning to understand _why_ his great and terrible father had given him such a sword, and the answer was vexing him. _It's always about Inuyasha! Well, this deed I perform now will vex him!_

Wistfully, Jakotsu tore his dark eyes from the sky, and whispered _Toshiro_ before he walked inside, following everyone else but leaving Big Brother outside one moment longer.

"Kagome, I love you!" he yelled to the sky, and his echoed voice answered him over and over. He followed the others in.

Two very tall stone statues stared into the darkness before them. It occured to Bankotsu that they were as dead as anyone they supposedly guarded! Sesshomaru signalled to them to stop well before they reached the huge stone door with the forbidding chain around it. "They will sense us soon enough."

Renkotsu gasped. "It's true! The statues! Their eyes are on us!"

"Indeed. They will most likely start to move as well, to allow you all to re-enter the World of the Dead." Sesshomaru was right, of course, and more to the point, they didn't have to wait long. The eyes glared down at them, and the spiritual power that caused the eyes to open also caused movement in the statues. They both slowly lumbered off their pedestals.

"I am Gozu."

"I am Mezu."

"Do you wish to pass?" Mezu then asked. Mezu had a rather ominous looking spear in its hand.

Bankotsu stepped forward. "I am Bankotsu, and though it is not truly my desire to return to the Afterlife, I do wish to pass."

Gozu and Mezu glanced at eachother. Then, Gozu responded, "You may not pass while possessing the shards of the Jewel of Four Souls."

"If I were to remove the shards, I would die," Bankotsu explained to them.

And then, Renkotsu piped up, "I think that's their point, Big Brother."

Sesshomaru stepped forward in alarm. "No! That won't work! They must be allowed to pass with the Shikon Jewel shards inside them. They will be turning them over to me after they enter; it was part of our deal!"

"We care nothing _about_ the Jewel of Four Souls. Only that its power causes life in these people, and they cannot be alive in order to enter the Afterlife." This was from Mezu.

"But they already _are_ dead!" Sesshomaru reminded the Guardians.

"No, they are not."

"You mean, you consider us still alive?" Jakotsu dared to ask.

"It means nothing. I already _have_ been to the Afterlife once before," Sesshomaru pointed out.

"Indeed, and you must have used a key, or else you would not have gotten past us," Gozu responded.

Bankotsu turned to Sesshomaru. "I think you'd better show them your key now. They'll let us pass with you," he suggested.

"Indeed, it is time." Gozu and Mezu raised their spears as they saw Sesshomaru draw a brightly glowing Tensaiga. It's brilliant blue filled the cavern with its power. And just as they had raised the Spears of Death, they now lowered. Alarm filled the Guardians' stone eyes. The great chain that locked the doors shattered.

As the huge gateway slid slowly open, the white light shone on them all. "I remember this!" Jakotsu breathed in awe, recalling his death the first time, right after his head came off, instead of everything going black, he saw the white light...

"I do too!" Bankotsu exclaimed. Sesshomaru appeared a bit awestruck himself, but his carefully schooled face quickly returned to it's normal passive coolness.

"You wield the sword that only cuts that which does not belong in this world...You may pass," Mezu and Gozu answered as they knelt before Sesshomaru and his group.

"Let us go then," the dog demon prince told his undead followers. And they all went into the light...

_Note: Well, that's one hurdle they've all jumped. Now what? Kagome, Toshiro and Kikyo all anxiously wait for their return, but will they? Keep reading!_


	31. In the Presence of Father

Little Sister

Chapter 31: In the Presence of Father

_Note: Much of the first half of this chapter was written on Easter Sunday, right after my cat of 20 years of age had to be put to sleep after suffering a massive stroke. In a way it was very uplifting for me to write it after something like that happened. _

Sesshomaru turned to gaze upon those five humans he had just led into the realm of death. Mist surrounded them, but when it cleared, Bankotsu saw something in the demon prince's eyes. Something like doubt.

"What is it, Lord Sesshomaru?" he asked.

"I didn't like what those guardians had said just before we entered here."

"You mean, that part about how your sword is meant to cut down only those who belong in the World of the Dead?" Renkotsu elaborated.

"I hope that I didn't just make this journey for nothing," Sesshomaru sighed.

"It wasn't for nothing. It was the only thing we could do, really. I know that now. As hard as it is for me to accept it, we're dead, and that is how we are supposed to be. What you did, leading us to this place so we could return to death in peace, is the most generous, noble thing virtually anyone has ever done for us," Renkotsu said with finality.

"Yeah, _except we're not dead," _Suikotsu pointed out.

"What do you mean?" Renkotsu asked with a gasp.

"He's right! Look at Ginkotsu! He's still not whole!" Bankotsu answered.

"What does that all mean? Can this still work?" Sesshomaru wondered aloud.

"How can we have just gone through those gates and not be dead?" Renkotsu demanded.

"Well, is Sesshomaru dead too?" Suikotsu shot right back.

"No, I'm not dead, and you're right, human! I've been here before. And I've come out...missing an arm... So whatever happens here to living people and demons goes back to the Living Realm with the same result..." Sesshomaru mused.

"Big Brother, I think we should still try it, even if it doesn't work, at this rate, we have nothing to lose, do we?" Jakotsu asked.

"I agree. Lord Sesshomaru, we are still willing to try it if you are," Bankotsu told him, after glancing to everyone else and seeing that the look in their eyes still held some hope.

"Very well. I'd like to go first to my father's grave. The last time I was here, the circumstances were disrespectful to his memory, and I would like to rectify that," Sesshomaru told them.

"Of course, and this way, perhaps your father will finally be able to witness how well you have learned to use what he passed down to you," Suikotsu suggested.

Sesshomaru turned on him. "You expect an awful lot out of me, don't you?"

Suikotsu nearly laughed, but controlled himself. "And you don't expect it out of yourself?"

Sesshomaru turned on his heel and glided along. In silence, the Band followed. It might have taken days, or minutes, it was difficult to tell in a timeless realm like this one, but they arrived at Sesshomaru's father's grave.

"Now, we carry out our bargain. You give me your jewel shards, which I will turn over to Kagome. In return, I will use Tensaiga to return you to life. Once you are alive again, you are all on your own. What you choose to do with your lives is of no concern to me."

"Understood," Bankotsu declared.

"Take mine out first," Ginkotsu insisted. Renkotsu laid Ginkotsu's pack down on the ground. Bankotsu helped to remove his remaining body from the pack. Then, Ginkotsu smiled. It had been the first time that either of his brothers had seen his smile for many years, though it was distorted by his missing lips, and the fact that one of his eye sockets was empty.

"Ren, do you want to do it?" Bankotsu asked him.

"I...I don't know how," Renkotsu answered a bit shakily.

"Very well, it's alright. I'll do it. Here it is, right where I left it..." Bankotsu said softly, as his fingers found the Shikon Jewel shard that he'd put into Ginkotsu's neck back in their grave. He drew it out.

And Ginkotsu turned to a pile of bones.

Renkotsu cried out. Bankotsu turned his eyes to Sesshomaru, who appeared a bit dismayed. The only one who was not alarmed was Suikotsu. "It's alright, Renkotsu. That's exactly what should have happened. Remember, when he came in here he was still alive!"

"That doesn't make any sense to me," Renkotsu said in a frightened hurry.

"It will. Here, let me lie down, and I'll give you my jewel shard," Suikotsu told Sesshomaru.

"But, you'll just turn to bones!" Renkotsu gasped.

"Yes, I know, but in this realm, Sesshomaru will be able to use Tensaiga, even if our bodies are reduced to bone," Suikotsu explained.

"How can you be so sure?" Sesshomaru asked with a very slight hint of awe in his voice.

"Ginkotsu's soul is still in those bones, trapped. Help us free our souls from these jewel shards, and from Naraku..." Suikotsu asked of Sesshomaru. Then, he pulled his jewel shard from his neck, not turning into bones until Sesshomaru took the sliver from his bloody fingers.

"I can't! I can't do it!" Renkotsu stammered.

"Big Brother, can you help me? I may not be able to do it myself, but I know if you help me, I'll be able to do this..." Jakotsu asked, laying down next to Suikotsu's skeleton.

"Alright, Ja. You know I'll help you..." Bankotsu said with that same soft voice he used for Ginkotsu. Bankotsu crawled over to his favorite brother, the one who taught him virtually everything he knew about how to wield a weapon, the one who followed him through every battle, every storm, even to his execution. He reached into Jakotsu's neck and got his jewel shard. Watching him turn to bones was nearly as bad as when he'd watched Jakotsu get beheaded. Bankotsu had to keep his face from showing any grief, though, because Renkotsu was still holding out, and he didn't want to spook his second-in-command with fear and grief.

"I understand your reticience, but you must know that you cannot stay in this realm very long with the jewel shard keeping you from your death," Sesshomaru told him.

"You know, you shouldn't listen so much to Suikotsu. He's crazy, you know," Renkotsu stammered.

"Yes, I know. And it is his very madness that allows his mind the freedom to find those places that your rational, sane mind will never even try to seek. He was able to easily grasp what the guardians were trying to tell me, whereas you, the intelligent one, are still clueless. If you knew the answer, you wouldn't be hesitating a moment!" Sesshomaru explained.

"Renkotsu. Do you want me to help you?" Bankotsu asked.

"N..no. I'll do it, thank you," he answered. He laid back and reached into his neck, like he'd seen the others do. Bankotsu felt Renkotsu's other hand reaching for his, so he gripped it. Suddenly, the bones of Renkotsu's hand were all that was left in his grasp.

Sesshomaru had four jewel shards in his hand, and he held that hand out to Bankotsu. He took the three out of his neck, but he still didn't turn to bones. The Prince of the Western Lands stared at Bankotsu in a very puzzled manner.

"Oh! I forgot about this one!" Bankotsu slipped his armor looser, so he could reach his chest wound, where the fourth jewel shard was lodged. He pulled it out, but he didn't turn to bones, and wouldn't until he handed it to Sesshomaru.

"So that's how you did it!" Sesshomaru said with the very faintest touch of annoyance in his voice.

"Yeah, it was Kagome's idea. The truth is, I nearly died from that scratch you gave me," Bankotsu admitted.

"Mystery solved," Sesshomaru said, reaching for the last shard.

Before he let go, however, Bankotsu asked, "What did Suikotsu say that convinced you this would work?"

"What is the opposite of death?" Sesshomaru asked.

"Life," Bankotsu answered, a bit warily.

"No. The opposite of death is birth," Sesshomaru answered. "Tensaiga cuts death down. In this place, this environment, it is possible to have birth, not in the usual, mundane sense, since a sword is not a womb."

Bankotsu was finally convinced. "We did, however, pass through a cave, and to get out of here, we also will pass through it..."

"You finally understand!"

"I'm trying to remember when Suikotsu said any of this...but no matter. Here you go." Sesshomaru took the shard from Bankotsu's fingers, and the leader, the Big Brother, was left as a pile of bones neatly placed beside his beloved Band.

The dog demon looked at the eight jewel shards in his hand, the blood of the five humans mingled and all looking quite the same. "Blood..." he mused. The shards fit together like piece of a spheric puzzle, and Sesshomaru put them away. Then, he drew Tensaiga once again. He looked up, and pointed Tensaiga towards the massive cadaver of his late father. "You don't think they should have trusted me, do you? You feel I took advantage of them, simply to deprive Naraku of these eight shards of the damned Shikon no Tama, and that I was laughing on the inside at their desperation? You might have been right, once."

Sesshomaru shook his head. "That was why you had Hoshinki put that black pearl in Inuyasha's eye, even though I had the key to the World of the Dead all along. You wanted to trust me to take your half-breed son here to claim his inheritance, to prove to you that I'm a better demon than I thought I was. But in the end, you didn't trust me, did you? You gave him the means to enter this place himself, and he would have been able to, had he not been pinned to a tree like a fool!

"Yes, it's true Father, that at one time, I would have merely left these miserable wretches here, and took these shards, no matter whether I ever proved to myself or not that I could accomplish the impossible and bring them back to life. These people, who I hardly know and I've only just met, trusted me far more than you ever did. Inuyasha is right to mistrust me, but you? I'm disgusted that I learned more from a group of inferior humans who are not even related by blood about family than you ever taught me. This Bankotsu has shown me what being the elder brother is supposed to be about. He showed me that what I do, I need to do for Inuyasha, my only sibling, for better or for worse. That's why I'm not leaving them, that's why I'm keeping my word, that's why I'm bringing them all back, because I am protecting my brother from those two human women whom he cannot seem to extricate himself from; the one who nearly killed him, and the one who is her reincarnation. I'm doing this, because they are now sworn enemies of Naraku, whom in the end I shall destroy, but I know now that allies would be of assistance and the more the better. I'm doing this to prove to you that I have indeed learned the lessons of Tensaiga!"

And with that, Sesshomaru channelled his power through the sword, and as soon as it turned bright blue again, he swept it first over his head, and then sliced it down, the sword that Saves a Hundred Lives with a single stroke. Through each set of chest armor, through each torso, Tensaiga sailed, leaving blue electric residue in it's path.

Soon, each body was engulfed in blue light, and it began swirling, first very slowly, and then faster and faster. Bone was covered by muscles, which in turn was covered by skin... Sesshomaru stepped back and watched as the power wove around each man, even lifting them from the pebbled ground and holding them upright in the air as they were completely reborn, one after the other.

Sesshomaru had to admit that it was an amazing sight.

Once the entire rebirth was finished, each one of the Shichinintai touched the ground with his feet. When their feet touched the ground again, their eyes opened. Jakotsu took a breath, which seemed to cue all the others to take his first breath as well. Very keenly, Sesshomaru watched them, looking for clues that anything might be awry. He inched forward and the first thing that he noticed was that they all appeared different. Jakotsu was probably the least changed, though he had no makeup or war marking on his face. In fact, none of them did.

Obviously, the most changed was Ginkotsu. Sesshomaru glanced down at his hand, which held Tensaiga in a tight grip. Even _he_ hadn't expected to be able to bring back that sorry wretch so completely! Very carefully, Ginkotsu lifted his hands up to his face, and flexed the five fingers on each of them. He looked down at his feet, and did the same thing with each of his five toes. He made a wordless cry of joy, and he turned to Renkotsu, who had the second most noticable change. He had long, very straight black hair that reached the middle of his back.

Bankotsu reached over to Ginkotsu, who was nearly sobbing. "Ginkotsu..." he breathed, and he grasped one of his brother's hands. By this time, all of the others had surrounded him, saying very little, at least with words. The first one to turn his head back to Sesshomaru's direction though, was Suikotsu.

Bankotsu noticed this and also turned Sesshomaru's way. He immediately dropped down into a very deep bow, and the others, even Ginkotsu, were bowed before Sesshomaru within a few seconds. Characteristic of Sesshomaru, he only responded, "We have completed our pact, and we have no further obligation to eachother."

Ginkotsu picked his head up first. "I...I hear something. Like buzzing in my ears..."

Sesshomaru's brows drew down. Had something gone wrong? "I don't hear anything," he remarked with a very slight touch of annoyance.

Then Jakotsu picked up his head. He touched his forehead with his hand very slightly, as though thinking. But right after that, he said with a very certain tone, "It's Naraku. He sensed our deaths."

This got Sesshomaru's attention. "That makes sense. He's probably sent the Saimyosho after the jewel shards. But how can you hear them with your paltry human ears when I, with my demonic sense of hearing cannot?"

"Jakotsu, are you sure it's Naraku?" Bankotsu asked.

"It's not Naraku himself. But he's pissed, oh, yeah, he is really pissed," Jakotsu answered.

"Big Brother, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Suikotsu asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I am! Renkotsu, it's time to do your disappearing act!" Bankotsu ordered him.

"But, Big Brother, I can't do that anymore, not since I...Oh! OOOHHH!!" And with that, Renkotsu closed his eyes, and a half-second later, vanished!

"I have never been so glad to see _nothing_ in my whole life!" Suikotsu cried. "Ginkotsu, are you ready?"

Ginkotsu simply smiled, and now that his face had been restored, it really looked like a face. Sesshomaru only saw it coming a second too late, but a second was all the Shichinintai needed. Ginkotsu grabbed him and pinned him down by his one good arm, while Jakotsu seized both Tokijin and Tensaiga, and just in case Sesshomaru had thought to escape by flying off, that route had been cut off by Bankotsu, who rose into the air, laughing with triumph.

_"What is the meaning of this?"_ Sesshomaru growled, as his face began it's transformation into his semi-demonic form.

"Uh-uh-uh, behave yourself! This will only take a minute," Jakotsu warned Sesshomaru as he held both demonic swords pointed at their master's throat.

"Suikotsu, can you do it?" Bankotsu asked quickly.

"Oh, yeah...There's plenty there..." the mad brother drawled as he approached Sesshomaru. Suddenly, the dog demon felt his power being seized. And at the same time, Suikotsu lifted the sleeve of the arm that had been severed months ago.

"Hurry, Suikotsu, I can't hold him much longer," Ginkotsu warned in a very strained voice.

"Take it easy." Suikotsu touched the stump of Sesshomaru's left arm. The power that had been seized was now shaping flesh and bone, and within seconds, Sesshomaru's arm grew back.

Shocked, Sesshomaru's face returned to a human form. Ginkotsu was able to let go, since he felt the demon's body relax considerably. Sesshomaru started to flex his own fingers, like Ginkotsu had been doing minutes earlier. Bankotsu returned to the earth, and Renkotsu reappeared. Jakotsu handed both swords back to Sesshomaru, who took them, one in each hand.

He shook his head slightly, then glared at Suikotsu. "Why didn't you just _tell _me you were going to try that?"

"What? And what if I hadn't gotten my power back?" Suikotsu gasped. Sesshomaru huffed very slightly. Suikotsu continued, "Don't worry, Sesshomaru, what we did here was not in repayment for what you did for us. What we did, we just wanted to know that we could do it."

Sesshomaru finally managed a smirk. "I understand."


	32. just a note

Just a note...

I really am going to continue with this story, but I have a few revisions to make on the next chapter and I haven't been able to give it my full concentration because I've had a death in the family (besides my cat) and it's been leaving me kind of tapped out. I really appreciate you sticking with my story even though I had taken such a long time between these chapters. I've got a whole new phase planned for this story, now that Bankotsu and his brothers are really back alive.

The new chapter shouldn't take me more than one more week to fix up and post, so keep your eye out. And thank you all so much for continuing on with my story!

pc andrews


	33. All He's Heard and All He's Seen

Little Sister

Chapter 32: All He'd Heard and All He'd Seen

Naraku sighed. The darkness of the depths of Mount Hakurei were beginning to close in on him. The demon corpses that littered the very bottom of the enormous cavern emitted a foul odor. He was having trouble trying to keep himself focused. And to top it all off, Kanna and Kohaku have now shown him the full extent of Bankotsu's treachery.

He wasn't surprised, really, that Bankotsu would turn on him. It was merely surprising to Naraku _why_ he'd done so. Kikyo's reincarnation, Kagome... How stupid! The girl was not even a pale comparison to Kikyo, not in powers, and not in beauty either.

Mount Hakurei trembled as Naraku shifted his consciousness to another group of demons he needed to assimilate. More like devour. Within the sacred barrier, it was not very easy to concentrate on anything else. One slip of his control over the demons, or over the barrier, would spell certain disaster. Slithering, writhing, dripping... They were the only inadequate words to use to describe the sensation of the demons merging within the deepest cavern of the sacred mountain. They were physical descriptions for decidedly un-physical sensations. Auras compounding and fusing together, trying to make order out of chaos, felt deeper than physically.

And this was much to Naraku's preference. Physical sensations, he could do without them! He'd abandoned those many years ago. In order to tranform from human into full demon, he needed to rid himself of any remnant of his former life as the pitiful wretch Onigumo. To that end, and after his embarrassing setback at the hand of his most hated enemy, Naraku retreated deep into Mount Hakurei, shutting himself away from the world outside until he could face it again fully tranformed into a demon.

The question hung in the air, even as he seived the essence of thousands of lesser demons and spirits, whether he could pull it off or not. After all, the heart of Onigumo still beat within. He'd tried over and over again to kill the heart inside his demonic body. To partition it, separate from it, but it still persisted. Why? _Is my love for Kikyo so powerful that I shall be doomed by it?_ He could not rule over all the demons unless he could accomplish his grim task. And that was what his true aim was within the mountain. To shed Onigumo once and for all.

He'd shed himself of what he did not need before. Kagura, the Wind Sorceress, was a manifestation of many of the female demons he'd been unable to use, but could turn to his use in another incarnation. Kanna, the permenant child, was another incarnation, made of child demons he'd devoured, then needed to spit out once again. But he couldn't shed Onigumo in the same manner, as he'd found out when he attempted it once. That vile slab of flesh he'd tossed over the cliffside like refuse had unfortunately been discarded too early. It didn't even have a face. Or sex organs. Now, that was a joke, Naraku smiled grimly, and laughed softly. After all, Onigumo's lust and longing were what started this wheel turning…

Could he even remember how it all started? Of course, Naraku recalled grimly. _Onigumo had placed himself between three painted whores, idly deciding which one he'd fuck first, when that fool came charging in with that explosive... Screams, from the whores. Words like thunderclaps, and the vision of a soldier/mercenary he'd met once with a patch over one of his eyes. What exactly had happened, Onigumo could barely make out. Not that it mattered, once the flash of his explosive seared the room, and everyone in it..._

_Onigumo, burned virtually everywhere on his body, slipped out. It took every bit of his resolve and strength to survive that burning hell he'd brought on with his wild plots._

Just like it had taken every bit of his remaining power to escape from Inuyasha and his brother Sesshomaru fifty years later. Yet two more individuals that Naraku/Onigumo had aggravated to the point of his own near-death. Inuyasha's Tetsusiaga glowed red, like fire. _When will fire no longer sear me?_

_Onigumo could make it no further. When dawn broke that next day, the villagers found the thief, Onigumo, barely recognizable. They threw stones and dirt at him. Had someone tried to burn him alive? Had he tried to steal fire from Hell itself?_

_The village priestess strode out to where the other villagers had congregated. Her divided skirts billowed around her feet. Onigumo could only see feet from his vantage point, but as hers approached, the others that had kicked at him retreated... Her voice, soft yet strong, spoke for him. Her feet made a protective circle around him. Soon, other feet departed altogether, as she bade them to leave her if they were not going to help her care for his burns._

_And then, she bent down, and Onigumo saw the Lady Kikyo's serene beauty for the first time..._

Naraku growled in fury. Even now, fifty years later, he recalled her gentle hands and manner as she took him to that cave, so very much like this one, in hopes that she could make him more comfortable and keep him away from the fury of the villagers. The villagers would stay away, she explained, because demons dwelt in that cave. Her presence would keep them at bay. But they didn't stay away when she left.

_Onigumo's pain was eased by her herbs. His mind was assuaged by her soothing talk, of this thing and that. She had wrapped his entire burnt body with bandages. She applied ointments with the surety of an experienced healer, despite the fact that she was young and fresh. At first, he even started to think he'd actually make it out of that cave in some sort of condition to carry on his life. She gave him hope._

_And day after day, Onigumo began to desire her more and more._

_At first, it was even somewhat sane. He so needed her, and she was always there for him, bringing him food, redressing his burns, telling him light news of the day. She'd stay with him, even after she was done treating him and feeding him, just to keep him company. What sort of woman was this, that gave so much of herself to a stranger who was unworthy of crawling behind her in her shadow? _

Ah, the foolish thoughts that had filled Onigumo's mind, Naraku reflected. All those hours in that cave stretched his sanity perilously thin. _Kikyo, what could I possibly give you that would repay you for all you've done for me? _What could he give her, indeed, except his touch? But, Kikyo was not one of the usual women he'd used for his formidable needs in the past. He was certain she was pure and untouched, even when she shyly admitted one day that there was "someone who has captured her heart." But he was a half-demon. He'd have to be a full human for her to truly join with him forever.

His name, he'd coaxed out of her on the fifth day of his torment, was _Inuyasha..._

Naraku had no fists right now to clench, or he would have, just like Onigumo had tried to clench his paralyzed fists whenever he thought of Inuyasha. She should not affect him so much to this day. He had a lot of work to do to expel her completely from his heart...

_Onigumo wisely held his tongue whenever he got the urge to tell Kikyo his feelings. So she'd continue to come and see him. So she'd never think that her little romance with this halfling was in any way shape or form of any interest to him. So she'd never know of the hate festering in his heart towards that halfling...or the ever growing lust he felt for her._

_He'd give absolutely anything to be a whole man once more, to be able to take her into his arms and make the sweetest love any man had ever made to a woman. For every time she'd touched him to heal him, he'd pleasure her body head to toe with his lips and tongue. He'd inhale her scent deeply and throb with the anticipation. And then, he'd teach her things about her body that he was quite certain even she didn't know. He'd bring her over the edge of ecstacy over and over again until he couldn't stand it anymore._

Why wasn't this working? He was supposed to be getting rid of her memory, not revelling in It! Naraku seethed as cold reality crashed like a wave over his hazy hot fantasies. Try looking at it coldly, he ordered himself. Onigumo wanted to fuck the living daylights out of her. But the hard truth of it was, he'd been so badly burned, Onigumo could never have performed as a man again. Surely, Kikyo might have known it. Maybe that was why she felt so safe around him, as though he were a enuch. Maybe that was why she had told him about Inuyasha. To put out any flames before they sparked.

However, the other side to the cold hard truth was that Onigumo was still burning, only in a completely different way. He wanted Kikyo, heart, body and soul. With every fiber of his being. And what made matters especially worse, was that now, Inuyasha was not his only rival for her affections. There was another…

Naraku forced himself to watch Kanna's mirror images over and over again in his mind. That man, she gave herself to that man! _Suikotsu!_

Onigumo's heart pounded, and Naraku didn't try to stop him. His hatred was sometimes useful. And he _despised_ this Suikotsu, because he's _had Kikyo!_ Even Inuyasha hadn't lain with her! What gall! What audacity! That son of a bitch! Naraku suddenly ached to leave the mountain. Onigumo was calling for action, swift and sure. He wanted Naraku to use his powers to completely obliterate this Suikotsu, right in front of Kikyo, right before he finally took her, and then, only then, would Onigumo be satisfied, and allow Naraku to destroy her once and for all…

* * *

Kagome sat in her living room, trying to keep from sobbing. Toshiro sat next to her on the sofa, more or less doing the same thing. Banryu was leaned against the wall next to the slide door. Sota kept glancing at the weapon, then pestering Kagome about it.

"Sis, are you sure this isn't Inuyasha's?" Sota asked her once more.

"No, I told you, Inuyasha only uses Tetsusaiga! That's his sword. Banryu is Bankotsu's halberd, and Inuyasha wouldn't be able to use it!" Kagome answered crossly. If all she had left of Bankotsu was Banryu, she didn't know what she would do.

Almost as if he could sense that Kagome was about to cry, Toshiro reached out and held her hand. "Kagome, Jakostu promised that he'd come right back if they make it, no, not if, _when_ they make it back."

"Hey, Sis, you brought that camera back with you from the Sengoku Jidai, right? Well, did you guys see the new tv we bought? You could plug the camera right into the jacks on the front, so you could show me the pictures you guys took. Please?" Sota begged.

"Huh? You know, that's a good idea! Here, get me the wire to hook it up, Sota… Yeah, Toshiro, this is Bankotsu's camera. I gave it to him a couple of weeks ago. He's already filled up two memory cards, so we should have some pretty good stuff here…"

"Kagome, how did this Bankotsu manage to take so many pictures without being able to recharge the batteries?" Toshiro asked.

Sota produced the cable, so Kagome plugged the camera in. "Oh, he can recharge the battery using his powers," she told Toshiro very matter-of-factly.

Sota goggled. "He can? I bet even Inuyasha can't do that!"

"Sota, I know you like Inuyasha a lot, and that's fine on another day, but right now, I'm really mad at him, okay?" Kagome told her brother.

"Again?" Sota sighed.

"You wanna see this or not?" Kagome threatened.

"Yeah!" Sota cried.

"Well then shut up and let me turn the camera on," Kagome warned. Sota sat on the arm of the sofa, safely beside Toshiro. He knew that Hojo Toshiro somehow had found out the truth about Kagome's trips to the Sengoku Jidai, even though he couldn't go there, as far as he knew. And he was glad that someone was there to comfort Kagome, even though it seemed like he wasn't doing a very good job of it.

The first picture came up. It was Kagome's picture at the well. "Hey, this takes pretty good night shots," Toshiro commented.

"Yeah, that was Bankotsu's first picture," Kagome sighed. And she recalled that they kissed just before she left him behind once again. How she wished that she had remained with him a little longer.

"Hey now, who's that?" Sota gasped.

"That is Ginkotsu. He's…been dismembered too many times, and so he lives in a machine. But, they took him out of the machine just before they left. And the other one next to him is Renkotsu. He's…he can be nasty, but, he's the one who figured out all my trigonometry."

"Aha, the mysterious tutor, revealed!" Toshiro commented.

"Hey, none of my teachers look like that, all dressed in armor!" Sota pointed out. "How can you concentrate?"

"You'd better concentrate; imagine getting a 'F' from him?" Kagome snapped. She forwarded to the next picture.

"It's Jakotsu!" Toshiro gasped. "He looked so worried in that picture…"

"Bankotsu was probably taking these while he was getting infected by Sesshomaru's poison," Kagome said sadly. The next picture was of Bankotsu.

Kagome's heart stopped just momentarily. Sota watched how his sister reacted to seeing him, standing in a sunny field among flowers, with Banryu on his shoulder. "Hey, it's not that you're mad at Inuyasha! It's that you fell for this Bankotsu guy!" Sota yelled at her suddenly.

"Here, here now what's this?" Grandpa asked as he came to the living room from the kitchen with a cup of tea. "I was just about to watch tv myself!"

"Grandpa! She fell in love with somebody bad!" Sota tattled.

"Sota, go away! I'm very worried about him; he might be dead!" Kagome said, then burst out crying. Toshiro went to the camera and advanced to the next picture so that the picture of Bankotsu would stop upsetting Kagome so much.

This time, however, it was Grandpa who reacted. He drew in is breath and demanded, "Who is that, Kagome? Where did you get that picture from?"

"Huh? Oh, that's Suikotsu. Uh, I didn't take this picture, probably Bankotsu did. See, Suikotsu is a member of the Shichinintai like Mukotsu and Jakotsu are too, you know?" Kagome explained. "Wait, where are you going?"

"Oh, now, where is it?" Grandpa muttered as he looked into a large chest of drawers near the dining room that stored all kinds of old weird stuff. Grandpa withdrew a picture that was in one of those stand up frames. He brought it to Kagome and said, "Look at this!"

It was a black and white photo of a man in the uniform of the Imperial Japanese Naval Air Force. "This was taken in 1944. This was my older brother, right before he went to Taiwan to train for suicide flights." He then looked at the image on the tv screen once more. Kagome was feeling a strange cold feeling in her stomach. This man, her great uncle whom she had never met, looked _exactly_ like Suikotsu!

"Higurashi-san, was your brother a _tokubetsu togeki tai_ pilot?" Toshiro asked in a quiet voice.

"Yeah! That's just the kind of stupid thing Suikotsu would do!" Kagome answered before her grandfather could. She could just picture the mad mercenary flying an airplane straight into an aircraft carrier. The Americans called the attacks _kamikaze._

"Kagome! Don't you know what that means? Suikotsu is your _ancestor!_ Is he married? Does he have a family?" Toshiro asked her.

"Uh, no! I don't think so! Wait, you're saying he's an ancestor of the Higurashi family?" Kagome asked in confusion.

"Don't you see? If this Suikotsu manages to stay alive long enough to father a child, then that must mean that he comes through this okay, and that means..."

"The others did too? Toshiro, do you really think so?" Kagome gasped. Her mind was only just beginning to barely process this information.

"I don't beleive that, not for one damned second! _That bastard Suikotsu is not your ancestor!" _a new voice, intruding and angry, barked back at them. Kagome and Toshiro turned to the slide doors, and Inuyasha was standing there, glaring with his amber eyes.

* * *

Note: You guys are so great! Thanks so much for your support! You are the reason I keep this story going. (Well, that and the fact that I'm really into it again!)


	34. Catching Up

_Note: This is a big chapter. Enjoy!_

Little Sister

Chapter 33: Catching up

Kagome's eyes widened. "Inuyasha, what are you doing here?" she demanded.

Inuyasha frowned even more deeply when he saw Toshiro and Sota and Grandpa all looking at him, when they all had been previously looking at the pictures of the Shichinintai. "Look, I don't know who _he _is," Inuyasha snarled while pointing at Toshiro, "and I don't think you want me talking some sense into you in front of _them_, so you had better come with me outside right now, Kagome!"

"Listen, I don't know why you came over here, but you have no right to boss me around, Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled back.

"Well, you still better come outside with me anyway! _Koga told me what happened at the well!"_ Inuyasha told her. At first, Kagome had no idea what he was talking about. The last time she was at the well...? She glared at Inuyasha, but he narrowed his eyes and insisted, "Not in front of them!"

Kagome stomped outside, and Inuyasha pulled her farther away. When he thought he wasn't in earshot of the rest of the Higurashi family, Inuyasha began by clarifying his earlier statement. _"Koga told me about that bastard Bankotsu and what he did to you at the well!_ Now do you understand why I'm here?" the hanyo stormed.

_Damn that Koga!_ Kagome thought angrily. That was the only real time Bankotsu and her had really been close to... Kagome's cheeks began to flush at the thought of it. "Koga purposely misunderstood what happened. I took care of myself just fine long before _he_ showed up!"

For a second, this thought seemed to please Inuyasha. "Oh? So you were able to keep that corpse from raping you without Koga's help?"

Kagome had to still her hand to keep from slapping Inuyasha. "All I had to do was purify his jewel shards. He stopped as soon as I did that." Kagome started to cry. "He...he pulled the shards out of his neck once he realized what he'd done! He would rather die than follow Naraku's orders to hurt me."

"You mean that he told you _Naraku_ was making him do it? Come on, Kagome, you may be dumb but you're not that dumb!" Inuyasha declared.

"How could you talk like that? He...He could be dead right now," Kagome stammered.

"He already was dead! I don't get what Sesshomaru's doing, but you'd better face it that even if Bankotsu shows his face anywhere near the village again, I'm going to tear him apart! You're not thinking clearly; I guess he did something to you to make you think you have to be a part of his group or something. Maybe this happens sometimes to people who are captives of someone else for a while, that you think your life depends on his or something. All I know is, it's coming to an end, for your own sake," Inuyasha told her.

"And Kikyo's too?" Kagome spat.

For a moment, Inuyasha appeared absolutely stunned that Kagome would even bring up Kikyo at a time like that. But then, it all fell into place in his mind. "Oh, now I get it. Kagome, you're mad at me about Kikyo. I get it. I really do. Sesshomaru is totally right that I should have gotten over her by now. But no matter how pissed off you are at me, you can't go and justify feelings for this Bankotsu by saying you're mad at me! Kagome, please don't ruin your life like that. I'm not worth that!"

Now Kagome was stunned. "You mean you think I'm chasing Bankotsu just to get back at you for whatever is still going on between you and Kikyo? Well, actually just with you, I think Kikyo moved on..."

"Never mind Kikyo!" Inuyasha yelled. "I...I had promised not to fail you, after you had gotten poisoned, but I did!"

"Which I'm sure Koga had a wonderful fun time pointing out to you," Kagome interrupted. "Listen, that battle when I got captured, there was nothing anyone could have done to get to me before Bankotsu did. You know, though, that everything happens for a reason, right? I got pulled down the well in the first place, resulting in the Shikon no Tama emerging back into your times again."

"Kagome, if you hadn't come through the well, I would probably still be pinned to that tree right there!" Inuyasha gasped.

"If the Shikon no Tama hadn't been shattered, then Kikyo would not have been resurrected, and for that matter, neither would Suikotsu," Kagome pointed out.

"That's it, Kagome! I'm not going to stand here and argue such a nonsensical idea as that Suikotsu is some sort of ancestor of yours!"

Kagome sighed. "You're right, Inuyasha. I'm not going to argue with you either. In fact, I want you to leave me alone now. I know you're concerned about me, but I'm much more worried about Bankotsu right now than anything else. I should be there now, waiting for him to come back."

"What if he doesn't? Sure would save me a lot of time..." Inuyasha growled.

_"SIT!"_ Kagome shrieked. Without thinking, she stomped off into the well shrine. Inuyasha pulled himself off the ground and raced in there to find her climbing into the well.

"I'm coming back with you!" Inuyasha told her as she gave him a dark glance through tear-filled eyes. Without a response, she dove into the well, surrounded herself in blue light, then it vanished. Inuyasha leaped in after her.

Only to land on the dirt floor of the well. No blue light...no movement. Inuyasha gasped. Just then, the well shrine doors filled with three people. "Hey, what happened?" Sota asked. "Did you and Kagome get into another fight? She's in a real bad mood!"

"We heard her yelling the word 'sit.' Did she go through the well?" Toshiro added.

"Yeah, and now _I can't get back through the well!" _Inuyasha told them in a slight panic.

"I don't understand. You and Kagome have always gone throught the well together with no problem," Grandpa reminded him.

"Yeah, but I've never been here without Kagome being in this time!" Inuyasha told them.

"You mean you can't use the well without Kagome being in this time? But if she's there, and you're supposed to be from that time, why can't you get back?" Toshiro asked.

"All I know is she'd better get her butt back here and come and get me, because this is noplace for me to be when there's so much going on there!" Inuyasha declared.

Meanwhile, as Kagome climbed out of the well, she found Sango, Shippo and Miroku waiting for her. Sango even helped her out. "Kagome! Is Inuyasha still in your era?"

Kagome looked back and gasped, like she'd left her homework at home or something. "I...I'll go back in a couple of minutes and get him. I just need a few minutes. Did they...come back?" Kagome asked carefully.

"Kagome, Koga was talking about some kind of incident with Bankotsu. What happened? I can't beleive that you would try to help someone if he really had hurt you..." Sango said,

There were so many things that Kagome wanted to say that the words would never come out fast enough. So, she said the only thing that really mattered. _"I love him! Why is that so terrible that I love him?"_

"Kagome!" Sango gasped. But she didn't have time to say another word because a strange, snake-like tentacle whipped itself around Kagome's waist and pulled her right out of Sango's hands. Saimyosho surrounded them all...

* * *

"What if the jewel shards are beyond our reach?" Kanna asked in her hazy voice as she and Kohaku crept into the cave. Last night, the remaining Shichinintai had gone in there, following the dog demon Sesshomaru. They hadn't come out. Sesshomaru had killed them, apparently. That was what his master, Naraku, had told them through her mirror. He had sensed their deaths. Now the children's task was to collect the jewel shards that had been used to bring them back to life, and return them to Mount Hakurei. So far away...but they had no choice.

"I...I don't know how well our master would take that news," Kohaku admitted. The Saimyosho buzzed over their heads, waiting to sense the jewel shards. "Why did they go in there in the first place? What kind of place is this?"

"It is the gateway between the living and the dead," Kanna answered spontaneously, as she was sometimes able to gather information from her mirror in silence, like thought.

"Kanna, if that's true, then, maybe they might come out alive," Kohaku pointed out.

Kanna was silent again. Kohaku had been hoping that he was right. Masters Bankotsu and Jakotsu, in particular, had been fairly kind to him. Master Kyokotsu had tried to take his jewel shard, Kohaku remembered, but then again, that was why Kyokotsu was now dead. Master Jakotsu had told him, also, that the giant had actually been the weakest of all the seven mercenaries. "Kanna, if they went to the world of the dead, does that mean that if they come out, they might bring their other comrades back too?"

Kanna was still silent. But then, almost randomly, Kanna said, "She's got them both..." Kohaku knew that Kanna meant _Kagura's got them both._ But what _both_ was Kanna talking about?

* * *

"Do you hear them buzzing yet, Lord Sesshomaru?" Ginkotsu asked. He was carrying Renkotsu on his back, since Renkotsu had carried him in before.

"Now I do, and I smell Naraku's scent as well. I was hoping I'd get him to emerge from hiding," Sesshomaru nearly grinned, flexing both of his clawed hands.

"Jakotsu, is there anything more you can tell us?" Renkotsu asked.

"Not yet. Whatever he's thinking, it's not directed at us, so I can't read his thoughts," Jakotsu answered.

"Even so, he might be right outside now. Are we all ready?" Renkotsu asked everyone.

"More than ready!" Sesshomaru confirmed. "And now, one of you must take the jewel shards back to Kagome..."

* * *

"Kanna! There they are! They have all emerged!" Kohaku gasped. "He didn't kill them after all!"

The Saimyosho flooded the air. Sesshomaru produced his whip, which sliced through several of them at a clip. Soon, Jakotsuto joined him, ensnaring the insects and slicing them to pieces.

Kanna coolly shone her mirror onto the scene. A wild looking red-haired man had joined them, but Kohaku didn't recognize him. His eyes, however, locked onto them, and he said, "Big Brother, I see the two children there, among the rocks."

"Naraku isn't here after all?" Renkotsu asked. Sesshomaru seemed annoyed. "He must not be strong enough yet."

"Careful, remember, one of those children is Kohaku," Suikotsu reminded Ginkotsu.

"Right, let's get him," Bankotsu said, rising into the morning sky. Since he had left Banryu with Kagome, he could not use his Dragon attacks. But this was far from a problem, actually. Bankotsu could kill just as easily (and perhaps more creatively) without the halberd as with it.

"Are you two looking for our jewel shards, perhaps? Maybe your master might be better able to get them back than you are," Bankotsu suggested, calling to them from the sky.

Kanna only responded by shining her mirror up at him. His own reflection wasn't glaring back up at him, though. It was Kagome's.

"What happened to her? Who's that woman with her?" Bankotsu suddenly demanded.

"My sister, Kagura, has her."

"Not possible! I left my weapon with her. Kagome is more than a match for an army with Banryu, let alone your sister, whoever she is!" Bankotsu roared.

"Big Brother, we'll need to get back to Kagome to determine whether she's telling the truth or not. But first, let's all split up and get out of here," Renkotsu suggested.

"Fine, this contest is unworthy of us anyway," Bankotsu sniffed down at the youngsters among the boulders. "Sending young children to do his work for him is beneath Naraku as well."

"When our master has regained his powers completely, you will regret mocking him," Kohaku declared, and, unless Bankotsu was imagining it, the boy shivered slightly as he said it. "He's the one who's got the jewel shards, Kanna!" Bankotsu involuntarily turned to Jakotsu, who was getting surrounded by Saimyosho. The other brothers were covering him, but he was still in trouble, because Kanna turned the mirror on him, and a beam of light blasted through it. "No! Jakotsu!" Bankotsu screamed, then dove for the young girl and her dreadful mirror.

Jakotsu, however, knew fully well what was coming. After all, he could read the girl's mind as well as Renkotsu could read a book. So he took out the Shikon jewel piece, held it between his fingers and pressed it to his forehead, then stared directly into Kanna's mirror. For the first time, he saw Naraku's face. And with the Shikon Jewel adding to his strength, Jakotsu was able to see beyond just Naraku's thoughts on how to destroy him. He was now able to see why he even became a demon in the first place...

"Ugh, that creepy _priestess?_ Oh, I see, she was taking care of you..." Jakotsu sneered in a weird voice. Everyone else stopped what they were doing, and Bankotsu descended a few yards away from his favorite brother.

_"Just what do you think you're doing?"_ Naraku raged from inside the mirror.

"Fire! Aah!" Jakotsu sank down, but still held the Shikon Jewel to his forehead. He saw the flames, felt them engulfing him, just like they had engulfed Onigumo all those years ago. And then, he saw Kikyo over him, in a cave much like this one. She was tending to his badly charred skin.

_"I needed her! I wanted her! I would do anything to have her, even destroy her, in the end!" _Naraku explained, but not with his voice. Jakotsu watched Kikyo's face change, and suddenly, she wasn't Kikyo at all, but his beloved Toshiro.

"Oh, no you don't, you bastard! Kinda sexy bastard, but a bastard all the same," Jakotsu added.

"Well, I'm not worried anymore; Jakotsu's just fine," Renkotsu huffed.

Jakotsu didn't hear him. Instead, he concentrated on a very painful moment in _his_ life, and decided to turn things around on Naraku. He sent the mental picture of his execution out, turning the Burning lands for just a moment, into the snowy Killing field in the shadow of Mount Hakurei. But he changed who was forced to drive a jewelled dagger into his lower belly from himself into Onigumo. And, he changed the man wielding the beheading sword from his long lost love Yoshinki into the face of Onigumo's long lost love, Kikyo...

"Nooooo!!" Naraku screamed as the thought, alien and sharply painful, invaded his mind, even as far away as Mount Hakurei. Kanna's mirror finally went black a few seconds later, and Jakotsu nearly collapsed.

Bankotsu and Suikotsu rushed to his side. "Ja, what's going on?" Bankotsu demanded.

"My head...oh, I did _not_ miss these damned headaches," Jakotsu breathed. But even as he was disoriented, he clung tightly to the Shikon Jewel, since he noted Kohaku creeping up to them.

"Sorry, can't have it, Kohaku," Jakotsu told him. Ginkotsu plucked the boy up with one hand, and he started fighting back, to little avail.

"What shall we do with this one, Big Brother?" he asked casually.

"Let him go, or she will surely die more quicky," Kanna told them as her mirror shone again. This time, the imageKagome locked in a salt cellar stared back at them.

"Give us the Shikon Jewel, and she will be set free," Kohaku improvised, a rather bold assertion, but a rather brilliant one as well. Bankotsu involuntarily eyed Jakotsu, eyed the jewel piece in his hand...

"Big Brother, don't do it!" Jakotsu gasped as Bankotsu leaned down, reaching out with his hand...


	35. More Catching Up

_Note: I'm experimenting a little more with the Japanese, as you might notice. Also, another really big chapter, it turns out..._

Little Sister

Chapter 34: More Catching Up

Bankotsu reached for Jakotsu's hand and grabbed it before he could draw it away. Painfully, though, Bankotsu squeezed Jakotsu's hand around the large shard, pressing the fingers so the light of the jewel could barely leak out from between them. "Big Brother..." Jakotsu gasped. He saw the tears very slightly clouding Bankotsu's azure eyes.

Bankotsu turned to face Kanna's mirror. "Naraku, you will not be able to keep her your prisoner for long. She's far too powerful for you to handle, especially from where you are! This I know more than I know anything else in this world." Then he turned to Ginkotsu. "Put the boy down. We'll tell his sister that he is still in good health."

_"I_ will take Naraku's child servants with me," Sesshomaru announced.

"They cannot harm you. Don't harm them," Suikotsu warned the demon prince. Sesshomaru simply gave him a glance with his mostly unreadable amber eyes before clutching Kohaku in one hand and Kanna in the other.

"Do not fight the dog yokai, Kohaku," Kanna advised. "He will take us where we need to go when Naraku comes."

"That's what I'm counting on," Sesshomaru told them, taking off into the air.

"Jakotsu, Suikotsu, come with me! Gin, take Renkotsu with you and meet us back at Kaede's village! We don't have a second to delay!" Bankotsu ordered. When Jakotsu and Suikotsu scrambled to their big brother's side, Bankotsu took one of their hands in each of his. "Hang on, brothers!" he smirked, then rose into the air with them both in his grasp.

"Oh, I wasn't counting on this..." Jakotsu said warily.

"What's the matter, afraid of heights?" Bankotsu nearly laughed.

"Well, not really, it's just that, well, I got unused to flying with you," Jakotsu answered as they took off right after Sesshomaru.

Suikotsu had other concerns. "Sesshomaru-sama, remember to go back the the village with the God tree and the well! Rin and Jaken are there," he reminded the demon.

"That is where Naraku will go. I will be there before you will be," Sesshomaru answered with his typical self-assurance.

"Hey, that's not fair! He wants to make it a race, but he's only carrying two children, while I'm carrying your heavy asses," Bankotsu complained.

"Well, you want to put us down?" Jakotsu asked.

"Fuck, no! I just hope Ginkotsu can keep up! He's got his powers back, so he might be able to. I figure we'll get back to the village faster if I flew," Bankotsu growled. "Kagome, why didn't you use Banryu? My gentle miko, not wanting to hurt others..."

"We'll get our Little Sister back, Big Brother," Suikotsu reassured him. "But, Jakotsu, I heard you mention Kikyo when you had that encounter with Naraku. Just what did you see?"

"Oh! It's disgusting! Well, not just because it's a woman he's lusting after, but, just that fact that anyone is that obsessed with anybody...My head hurts just thinking of it!" Jakotsu explained.

"Damn..." Suikotsu muttered.

"Sui, I think you are in particular danger," Bankotsu warned him grimly. "Take a look at what's going on with that albino child with her mirror. Remember, everything that gets reflected in that mirror gets back to Naraku, a lot like that little screen on my cam-era shows the pictures I just took."

"She's pointing it at me..." Suikotsu noticed, as the three of them flew further and further away.

* * *

Indeed, Naraku had watched all that had transpired since the Shichinintai left the cave gateway of the World of the Dead from his perch in Mount Hakurei. He had to give Bankotsu credit. He'd managed to find a way to live without the Shikon Jewel shards. Well, good for him! Now he could retrieve the large shard at his leisure, while still leaving Bankotsu alive. Once Naraku destroyed all his enemies, he intended to make Bankotsu his slave, much like Kohaku, only he wouldn't need to have an incomplete Shikon Jewel to keep him alive, unlike the child demon slayer.

Right now, Kagura had in her possession something extremely important, something that will aid him in finding the last of the jewel shards. The Wind Sorceress had been very eager to leave the mountain to start this mission. Now, she had Kagome Higurashi, who was key to his plans. Naraku knew, however, that Kagura had the potential to betray him at any time, so he knew he had to make haste...

Not only that, but Kanna had shown him the most compelling reason of all that he had to leave Mount Hakurei. For not only Bankotsu had been reborn, but so had that miserable _Suikotsu!_ Naraku detached himself from the wall of the great cavern that had been his dwelling for months. He formed his new body around himself, like flesh and exoskeletal armor. His hanyo form was much more fluid than the last one he had. A merging of the body he had possessed when he killed all those demon slayers, plus new tentacles sprouting from his back where the mark of the spider had been all those years. His hands could change shape into claws, and most important of all, he now had a much improved shield he could build around himself. He'd learned from Inuyasha's Red Tetsusaiga that the old barrier had been too big and too weak. By containing it around his immediate area, rather than around a whole building or a section of a forest, he could maximize it's effects, and make it much more difficult, if not impossible, for Inuyasha to break it.

Yes, he was ready to leave Mount Hakurei.

"Hakushin Shonin-sama, I ask you now to dissolve the barrier around the mountain so that I might pass," Naraku announced in the dark. A light appeared before him, and the image, if not the actual saint, materialized.

"You are not ready to leave the mountain," Hakushin warned him flatly.

Naraku was dismayed. Hakushin, though he served him, was a force of pure goodness. For him to see a flaw in Naraku so quicky bode ill. "My defenses have been greatly improved!" Naraku protested.

Hakushin's withered face did not change expression. "The most dangerous weakness is still within you," he pointed out.

Hakushin was a Living Buddha. Naraku didn't think trying to argue would gain much. Besides, deep down, he knew Hakushin was correct. Onigumo was still lurking, even though he had shed his physical heart just the other day and gave it to Kagura, who flew away with it tucked in her arms! "How can I completely get rid of him except by doing what I've done!" Naraku complained aloud, without having meant to.

"Your heart's energy still exists. Ridding yourself of your physical heart does not rid you of it's energy," Hakushin told him in a tone that seemed to say _take it from me, I ought to know._

_It would have been useful had Hakushin pointed this out a lot sooner! But no matter._ "I must still leave. All that I have planned lies in the balance!"

"That you even are leaving at this point indicates how _unprepared_ you are to leave! If you go now, the first person to discover your weakness will be your undoing. All that you have accomplished here will be destroyed," Hakushin warned him in the strongest possible voice he could project.

"Hakushin Shonin-sama, I know you speak what you feel is the truth. But I will have to take my chances, I cannot remain in this mountain another day!"

"So be it. I shall bring down the barrier to allow you to leave here, along with any remaining demons that you have not consumed," Hakushin said.

"Yes, I shall take them all with me. You will be troubled no further," Naraku agreed.

"Once you leave, I shall restore the barrier around the mountain," Hakushin informed him.

Naraku was puzzled by this. "May I inquire why?"

"Two reasons. One, to preserve the sacred nature of this mountain, so that it might remain a place of salvation. Two, because there is something here that must remain out of the hands of the one who had possessed it long ago."

Naraku's interest was piqued. "What is it?"

"No doubt you had noticed it, and had absorbed at least some of it's energy," Hakushin reminded him.

"Oh, you mean that tainted half of a naginata that had been left here? I had noticed it, I had examined it, and I found it would be of little use to me personally. I don't use traditional human weapons, as you might have noted. Very well, it would not do for some demon to come after me with it, so do as you will." Naraku nodded. Hakushin Shonin-sama barely nodded his mummified head in accord before dissolving. In spite of his danger, Naraku felt a bit excited. He was about to be unleashed onto the world again! He raised his arms, and levitated to the very top of the cavern, then flew out of the mountain. Thousands of remaining demons heard his silent call. _Freedom!_

* * *

The desert air was turning cool, but the two Twice-dead spirits sitting on top of the Bellagio Casino in Las Vegas couldn't really feel that. They were aware, however, of the sun setting in the west, beyond the mountains. One soul looked tiny compared to the other, but not one mortal could see them. Which was just as well, as they were a very odd sight, dressed in armor and clothing from the Feudal Era of Japan.

"Tell me again why we're here?" Kyokotsu, the large soul, sighed.

"I like Las Vegas, I told you," Mukotsu reminded him. "We already went to Paris once, I figured if you really want to meet me there next time, we'll go back."

"What about Egypt? You said we could meet there another time, too!"

"Well, this is like Egypt, it's a desert, just with more life. I like champagne too! And gambling chips. It's all so random, and yet fits so well together," Mukotsu explained.

"Mukotsu, are you _haunting_ this place?" Kyokotsu asked.

"No, what makes you ask that?" Muktosu responded with a frown.

"Very well. We'll watch the fountains and the sunset and then we'd best start getting caught up, Mukotsu," Kyokotsu frowned.

Mukotsu snorted, then gazed out onto the city spread before him. "We have all the time in the world! And I have faith that Bankotsu and our living brothers are far more evil than this silly Naraku fellow."

Kyokotsu stood up. In life, he had been nearly fifteen feet tall, and that was before he had started consuming massive amounts of demon flesh, which made him even larger. "That's your opinion! I noticed a trend with them lately. They act as though they seek redemption!"

"They must be mad! There is no such thing as redemption, and as you and I can plainly see, there is no need for it anyway. We will all wind up in the same place, as Twice-dead! It's not so bad here! What's the need to put themselves through that torment, to try and find good in themselves that isn't there?" Mukotsu scoffed.

"Mukotsu! Don't you know that there's more than this?" Kyokotsu gasped.

"What more? This very place where we are right now has poker rooms, tons of food and eating, even shopping. Heh, my darling wife Kagome wondered if Prada made penny loafers. I had no idea what she was talking about until I found Prada shoes right downstairs!" Mukotsu said with delight.

"Are you _sure_ you're not haunting this place? And besides, _why would you care about the food when you can't eat?" _Kyokotsu pointed out.

"What's all this about haunting?" Mukotsu snapped.

"It's what happens when a soul loses sight of what more there is," Kyokotsu answered.

"Like what?" Muktosu deepened his frown.

"There is Nirvana! The only way to attain Nirvana is through enlightenment and redemption!" Kyokotsu fretted.

"What has this got to do with us? We're Twice-dead! We can't attain Nirvana like this?" Mukotsu frowned. He hadn't planned on getting into a theological discussion with _Kyokotsu_ of all people!

"Of course we can! In fact, you and I are in a unique position. We can still redeem ourselves, since we still have retained our identities in the afterlife!" Kyokotsu told him with excitement.

Mukotsu waved him off. "I can go wherever I please. No one really sees me, I like this! Why would I change it? Here, look, they are starting the fountain show!"

"How many times have you seen it? The fountain show?" Kyokotsu clarified.

"A number of times. They play it every half hour for the guests of the casino and people passing by. I know most of the songs they play with the fountains by heart. _I'm dancing and singing in the rain..."_ Mukotsu sang as a preview.

"Hmph, see, I knew it, you _are_ haunting this place!" Kyokotsu accused. Then, he decided to change his tactic, since it was obvious he wasn't getting anywhere with Mukotsu this way. So, he started saying, "This will be the first time I have seen it, so it will seem new and wonderful to me. I'm sure many of these others will also wonder at it, since it will be their first time seeing it as well," Kyokotsu sighed. "But what about those that work here, and see it every day? They pass it by without even noticing it. There is nothing new in it for them. Surely, Mukotsu, you might wish to go on to the next life, get a new identity. Surely, you don't wish to remain the soul of an outcast mercenary forever..."

Mukotsu gaped, completely ignoring Frank Sinatra's crooning voice playing along with the fountains spurting and flowing in synchronicity. _There's a real problem if someone like Kyokotsu was getting so philosophical!_ "Have you ever been told the story of how Big Brother found me? I know how Big Brother found you. I bet you haven't been told the story! Well, perhaps now it is time you heard my tale, Mukotsu..."

* * *

_Jakotsu grunted as he nearly slipped on the ice. Bankotsu had decided to start his search for new mercenaries to join his group. They still hadn't settled on how many to have in the group, nor had they even made up their minds about the name of the group, either. "I still like the Ravens," Jakotsu told him._

_"What? Oh, give me a break, Jakotsu!" Bankotsu grumbled. "My feet are freezing. If I were a raven, I would have flown over these mountains instead of passing through them."_

_"Look, we knew the weather was going to stink up in these parts this time of year," Jakotsu pointed out. "These mountains are notorious for the snow and bitter cold. We should try to take some shelter soon in one of the mines. We've got coin; I'm sure some of the miners could spare us some fire and shelter."_

_"Yeah, we don't even need to ask for food, we made sure to pack enough...Hey, what's that up there?" Bankotsu asked, pointing Banryu into the snowy distance. Jakotsu tightened his warm coat and held one wrapped hand up to his forehead. "Come on, we'll see what's going on over there, to me it's a sign of life..."_

_Sure enough, there was something in the snow. Or rather, there was someone. Jakotsu held his arm up to block Bankotsu at first, until Bankotsu's blue eyes snapped at his brother-in-arms, so Jakotsu dropped it down. "Big Brother, be careful, I've never see anything like that in my life!" Bankotsu approached what appeared to be a giant beast, chained to the stone wall of the cave entrance, naked, and emaciated. But as he got even closer, Bankotsu found to his shock that this oversized beast wasn't a beast after all..._

_"Oi, you! You alive? Why have they got a man tied up like this outside in the cold?" Bankotsu shouted at the giant. Jakotsu slid over to them with Jakotsuto at the ready as he stirred. "It's okay, Jakotsu, stand down. I doubt this man has much energy to cause anyone trouble."_

_"You..." the giant gasped._

_"What is it?" Bankotsu asked._

_"Called me a man?" he continued._

_"Well, yes, you are a human being, after all. Why wouldn't I call you a man?" Bankotsu asked, very puzzled._

_The giant man began to sob. "I am a human! I am not a demon, I am not a monster, I am a human!"_

_"Bankotsu, I'm starting to get this uncomfortable feeling, like pity, only more intense, and you know I hate feeling those kind of things," Jakotsu murmured._

_"Then we shall replace it with hatred, as we always do, my brother, but let us now turn our ire to those who tied this man up with heavy chains, presumably to use him to move heavy boulders inside the silver mines so they don't have to use explosives. No human being should be treated as this one has been, not even a animal should be!" Bankotsu's blue eyes burned as he raised Banryu (now lighter than the snowflakes that fell around them) and sliced through the chains as though they were immaterial. The giant man gasped as the chains fell from his wrists and his ankles. "Now, what have you done to possibly deserve this treatment the miners have put you through?"_

_"I...I tried to escape," the giant confessed._

_"Indeed? Well, I have freed you. Will you leave here, if you could?" Bankotsu asked._

_"I...I will try," the giant told him._

_"Good, that means that they haven't completely broken you yet. Would you come with us, if we asked you to?" Bankotsu asked._

_"Big Brother, are you asking him to become one of us? Are you certain of this?" Jakotsu gasped._

_The giant mustered up nearly all his remaining strength to bow before Bankotsu's feet. "I will do anything you ask of me. My life is yours now."_

_"Heh, your life might be mine, but their lives are yours, to take. Feast on them, on their blood, on their flesh, as they denied you adequate food all this time. Kill every man in that mine; I demand it of you!" Bankotsu ordered._

_"I shall do it as long as my muscles will work," the giant said as he struggled to stand._

_"Excellent, and we will be right beside you, and aid you," Jakotsu offered with a wide smile and a wink to Bankotsu. With that, the three of them entered the mines..._

* * *

"I didn't even have a name. It was Bankotsu who adopted me as his brother, and gave me my name," Kyokotsu reminded Mukotsu. "And I'm certain that you said to yourself the very same thing I said to myself when Big Brother rescued you from getting executed for poisoning that well in that village..."

"Alright, let's just stop there! Let's not overidealize Big Brother; he was more than happy to find any excuse he could to slaughter people. He didn't leave one villager standing alive after retrieving me. And that was even before we had Ginkostu and Suikotsu!" Mukotsu snorted.

"Yes, I remember that village. The headman was quite tasty..." Kyokotsu recalled. At that, both Twice-dead mercenaries began to laugh. The fountain show was in full swing. For a moment, it seemed that Kyokotsu had lost his trend of thought, but eventually, his point caught up to him.

"Do you remember what you said to yourself? I will tell you what I said to myself," Kyokotsu clasped his hands together. "I said to myself: For Bankotsu, the one who saw the human in the giant who had accidentally eaten a certain demon's flesh once that distorted my size and my appearance so that everyone else thought I was a monster. For Bankotsu, the one who took me into his fold, made me a part of his life, for the one who _gave me my name,_ I would do anything. I would kill whoever he told me to kill, and I would also stay my hand if he bade me do so. If he told me to walk into Hell, I would open the gates for him. If he told me the only way I could keep my honor would be to let them take my head, I would lay it down on the ground for them."

"Oh? Then what the hell happened when Big Brother revived us? You took off, and you didn't even take Suikotsu with you!" Mukotsu pointed out sharply.

"The Shikon Jewel shard in my head was clouding it! I would never have left Bankotsu if I didn't have that Jewel shard whispering evil disobedient thoughts in my mind! I ate thousands of demons, hoping to digest another Jewel Shard if they had one! It addled your thoughts as well, didn't it? That's why we are Twice-dead in the first place!" Kyokotsu snapped back.

Mukotsu grunted. "So, here we are!"

"Oh, damn you, Mukotsu. You must remember what you were telling yourself! Fine, then be that way. I know what you were thinking: _For Bankotsu, that man that saved me from the deadly anger of that village, that man who took me into his fold, that one who gave me a purpose and led me to wealth beyond my dreams and to some measure of respect among others of the human species in spite of my appearance, I would do anything he asked of me. If he asked me to save the life of the woman he loves, I would do it..."_

"What! This whole argument is about _Kagome?_ Bankotsu just wants to fuck her, Kyokotsu; you know how he is," Mukotsu yelled.

"Bullshit! You just are letting your jealousy blind your eyes to the truth! Bankotsu loves her!That's all there is to it. And since Big Brother loves her, I think you should make it your path to redemption to help her stay alive. She's got that terrible demon Naraku after her," Kyokotsu urged Mukotsu.

"If you feel so strongly about it, then why aren't you helping her?" Mukotsu asked.

"Because I'm about ready to contact that other one, Kagome's friend. You know, Hojo?" Kyokotsu told him.

Mukotsu's frog-like eyes widened even more than when Sesshomaru sliced him open with Tokijin. "Are you _mad?_ With what he's able to do..." he gasped.

"I don't fear his power," Kyokotsu scoffed. "Besides, Big Brother needs someone who can do what I was able to do. This Hojo fellow can do it, and because he's interested in Jakotsu, he'll be willing to do it," Kyokotsu reasoned.

"I...I couldn't possibly go near that boy!" Mukotsu shuddered, even though he was dead.

"Big Brother needs someone who could do what you were able to do also, you know. This Kagome girl is perfect!" Kyokotsu pointed out.

Mukotsu nodded very reluctantly. "So, that's what you think will help redeem me? I still don't feel the need for redemption."

"If you don't do it for your own soul, if you don't do it for Kagome, then at least do it for Bankotsu! He needs us! We're dead, but as Twice-dead, we can still be there for him in some way! Mukotsu, please, don't turn your back on him. He never turned his back on you!"

Inwardly, Mukotsu winced at that last statement. "Fine, fine! I'll see if the wench is willing to work with me. Now, I hope you are through worrying about my soul! One more thing; you'd better never tell Big Brother that you or anyone else worships him like that. It'll be terrible for this world, I can assure you."

Kyokotsu grinned. "Sure. You know what they say around these parts, seeing as how you keep haunting this place?"

"What they say? No," Mukotsu frowned.

"What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas," Kyokotsu reminded him.

Mukotsu groaned and covered his eyes with his plump little hands. "Ugh, let me out of here, to go to a dingy, stinking salt cellar where my wayward wife is being held against her will for the umpteenth time..."

* * *

_Note #2: Sorry, had to get cheesy on you guys like that :P I couldn't resist._


	36. Saving Grace

_Note: I've gotten a few comments from people wanting to know what Hojo's special power is supposed to be. If you want a clue, go back to chapter 29 and read about what happens to Jakotsu when he made his visit to Hojo right before he left for the Burning Lands with Sesshomaru. Just remember one thing while reading it; at that point, he's dead and rapidly deteriorating, so he's more vulnerable to Hojo's power. Now, with that in mind, we continue with an important update on Kagome's situation..._

Little Sister

Chapter 35: Saving Grace

Kagura stared out onto the sunset from the manor she had taken over. The daimyo who had ruled this land until very recently was seated in the corner of the room. She would parade him out whenever his presence was needed. He was quite easy for her to control; she was quite adept at controlling the dead, both human and demon. If only she were able to control this infant the same way.

Naraku had hidden his physical heart inside this rather disgusting parody of an infant. She was to use this infant to help gain information as to where one last Jewel Shard was located. At first, she and the infant had travelled to different parts of Japan, trying in vain to gain some sort of insight from the various monks that they have destroyed in the process. Once she saw this was not working, she set her sight on mikos, rather than monks. There were two miko in particular that she thought would be of use in locating Shikon Jewel shards: Kikyo and Kagome. Her plot, which worked nearly flawlessly, was to take over the village that was important to them both.

Even though the attack itself was thwarted by Kagome and the Shichinintai, when the mercenary brothers unexpectedly left, Kagura had her chance. _What luck that Inuyasha and Sesshomaru were missing!_

"Sama, we have one of the prisoners. Do you wish to see her now?" one of the late daimyo's guards asked his corpse. Kagura lifted her fan ever so slightly, and the cadaver's head nodded once.

A few seconds later, Kagura's prisoner was brought in. "The only reason I can think that you would be holding us here is that your foul master will be emerging from his hiding place soon." Kagura turned around, and looked into Kikyo's black eyes.

"I was ordered not to harm you. So you needn't worry for your safety, unless you do something exceedingly stupid like try to escape," Kagura drawled. For the life of her, she didn't see what Naraku could possibly want with this woman. She was so _unnatural!_ Kagura's ability to animate corpses didn't even come close to working on this creature! She wasn't even a corpse--in fact, she was more disgusting than the Infant...

"I have something I want you to see. Come closer, miko, to this cradle," Kagura ordered her. Kikyo eyed the cradle skeptically. Only then did she come over. "You can even pick him up and hold him. I'd heard that you had wanted to start a family, and live a normal life. How sad for you, that you never had the chance..."

"Kagura, your attempts at pity are laughable. I've never seen a baby look like this, and I've helped birth numerous babies. Is this one of Naraku's new incarnations?"

"If you don't pick it up, you'll never know," Kagura challenged her.

Kikyo glared at Kagura. "Are you a fool? None of Naraku's incarnations thus far have provoked fear in me. If I pick up this...child, I will discover it's secrets. Why would you want me to do that?"

Kagura nearly laughed at Kikyo's comments. Kikyo saw she was getting nowhere, so instead, she lifted the infant out of the cradle. Immediately, the infant tried to snuggle up to Kikyo's chest. Such a natural thing for a baby to do...but this one doing such a natural thing seemed so odd, indeed. Kikyo let the baby lay his head next to her heart.

Suddenly, the Infant spoke. "This one...has no heart!"

Kikyo gasped. Kagura grabbed the infant away, before Kikyo decided to purify him or something. "Guards! Get her out of here and bring the other prisoner in here, right now!" Kagura ordered. Two dead guards returned to the room and shuffled Kikyo out.

Kikyo said on her way out, "You will have no better luck with Kagome than you did with me. Though she is still living, the foul purpose you have with that infant will not work."

"Do not undersestimate me, Miko!" the Infant suddenly hissed. "Every soul has darkness, and I'm certain this one does as well. Humans are all the same, all weak, all hateful..."

_"Kikyo! You're here too?"_ a girl's voice gasped. Kagura was annoyed that Kagome now knew that Kikyo was there too. Somehow, she thought the two of them plotting together would bring her unending grief. But, there was no catching that horse now that it was let out of the barn...

"What's it to you? Since when do you care about her fate?" Kagura taunted.

Kagome didn't answer, she didn't dare. Kagura and Naraku must never discover the truth, that not only was Kikyo one of her past incarnations, but that she was also her ancestress! Kikyo managed to glance into Kagome's eyes as they passed eachother in the room. _Did she have any idea,_ Kagome wondered.

Soon enough, she was alone with Kagura and the Infant. Kagome sensed the presence of a Shikon shard. She glanced at the daimyo. As if she knew what Kagome was thinking, Kagura laughed lightly and said, "No, the shard you're sensing is not being used in his corpse. Unlike Naraku, I can control the dead with mere thought. Naraku needed to put jewel shards into those cadavers of those mercenaries in order to get them to do their bidding. I suppose you and Inuyasha had made short work of them, hadn't you?" Kagome didn't shake her head. She didn't want to tell Kagura anything that she might possibly not know. Kagura might be more out-of-the-loop than Kanna and Kohaku! "Well, I can tell you that your actions the other day during that battle were more than just an inconvenience. I though I'd never get a hold of you. But then, just like this, you practically fall into my lap. You're going to help Naraku get the last jewel shard."

"No I won't!" Kagome gasped. Was Kagura really serious? _Did Naraku know the location of every jewel shard left except one?_ In her mind, she did a mental inventory of jewel shards not part of Naraku's big chunk. Kohaku had one. Koga had two. If the Shichinintai were successful in ridding themselves of Naraku's jewel shards, then that was...eight more. There was one in Banryu, which was _definitely_ beyond Kagura's reach. This thought make her smirk involuntarily.

"What is it? You know something, don't you? Well, you won't be able to keep it from me for long!" Kagura warned. "You sensed this jewel shard before, didn't you? Here it is now in plain view. Naraku isn't only able to control the dead with Sacred Jewel shards; he can control the living ones just as well. Ask Kohaku if you don't beleive me!" Kagome saw Kagura wielding a tainted jewel shard.

"Naraku didn't really control the Shichinintai as well as he thought he could! Bankotsu had me purify his jewel shard more than once just so he could keep himself free!" Kagome yelled.

"Ha! _Free?_ Freedom is the greatest of illusions, Kagome. Now he's dead. So much for the fleeting freedom you gave him! Foolish girl! Just give up, already! You can't win this. You're no Kikyo; you're not strong enough!"

_Oh, really? Well Bankotsu thinks I'm strong enough. Please, Bankotsu, be right about this!_ Kagome took a deep breath and began to emit a purifying aura. Purifying things was something that she'd gotten very good at. Kagura backed away a step as the jewel shard in her hand began to glow clearer.

"Hmm...I think it's time to make you more cooperative." Kagura picked up the infant and walked over to Kagome. "Now now, no need to put up such a strong aura of purity, after all, this is a baby. How much more pure do things get than when they are babies?"

"Huh? What are you doing with a baby?" Kagome demanded.

"The lady of this manor was due to give birth. By the time her husband got the idea to attack that little village of yours, I had made my arrival. Tragically, the child is all that is left now of the family," Kagura lied.

"You mean _you're _the one who got this army to attack the village?"

Kagura didn't answer, but handed Kagome the infant. Almost as a reflex, she took the baby into her arms. This made no sense...Why would Kagura keep a baby alive while killing it's parents? Then, she actually took a look at this "baby" and understood it immediately. Before Kagome could scream, before she could toss the child out of her arms, it snuggled up against her chest.

"Kagura, you must wait until I take her soul, and then, you will be able to place the jewel shard in her," the Infant told her. It's baby hands clutched Kagome's school uniform and it's head settled on her bow tie. Kagome couldn't move. "What is this...her conflicts...they are...I could use them, yes, but, how?" Kagome had no idea what this baby was trying to do to her, nor did she know what it wanted with her soul. As if the Infant could read her mind, it laughed. "I want your eyes. I cannot use Kikyo to see Shikon Jewel shards, but I can use you. I will take your soul so you can help Naraku find the last un-accounted jewel shard. Yes, your fear at him finding it...I can maybe use that. Wait, it's not enough."

"Damn you, troublesome wench!" Kagura growled, snapping her fan open.

"Give us time, Kagura!" the Infant commanded her. Resentfully, Kagura stepped back.

Kagome felt the Infant's soul searching plumbing ever deeper. _Oh, no, the Infant found Bankotsu!_ She relived that terrible moment at the well, when he had pulled his jewel shards from his neck, and became a pile of bones. Like cold clammy fingers, the Infant probed her relationship with Bankotsu: the times he had kissed her, bringing forth those feelings of conflict, especially in the beginning, when she thought she was still in love with Inuyasha. The Infant tried to poke around this, but couldn't seem to grasp her heartstrings. "What is this? So, you _don't _love Inuyasha anymore?"

Kagome didn't answer. _Of course I still love Inuyasha! Just not in the way I love Bankotsu! Whatever you're trying to do, what I feel for Bankotsu can't be harmed by your hands._ As if it had touched something very hot, the Infant's hands released Kagome's shirt. Kagura was dismayed.

"I will get to her..." the Infant said with determination, then made a renewed effort to plunge deeper into Kagome's soul. Kagome threw the impression of Bankotsu up as a barrier against him. The Infant growled, then expelled himself completely from Kagome's grasp. "Naraku was warned about this girl's powers! I need his help!"

Kagura gulped. The Infact looked ashen. "What did you do to him?" she demanded.

Now that Kagome was completely free of the Infant's grasp, she was able to speak. "Bankotsu is none of his business!" Suddenly, she gasped. She sensed a Shikon Jewel shard, a very large one! No one had a jewel shard that large except...

The roof of the building they were in blew open above them. The night sky, with it's thousands of stars, was soon filled with demons. And then, someone in a bubble-like barrier descended into the room. His red demon's eyes swept around everyone there, and his beautiful lips twisted in disgust. He looked to Kagura. "Get rid of that mannequin, Kagura, we no longer need it."

"Y...Yes, Naraku-sama," she stammered, then waved her fan at the corpse of the daimyo of the land that had ruled, among other areas, Kaede's village. What was left of him collapsed, and Kagome gasped. "So, you're back! I..I wasn't expecting you so soon," Kagura explained quickly.

Naraku smiled. "I see you've all been doing well here." He looked to his newest abomination, the Infant, and snickered. "Kagome-chan...I have some wonderful news for you. It seems as though Bankotsu has managed to remove the jewel shards from his neck and survived it."

In spite of who was telling her this, in spite of her danger, Kagome leaped to her feet. _"He did?"_ She began to sob with relief. Naraku was undisturbed by this display of affection, infact, he seemed to feed from it. He smiled very widely.

"Oh, yes, he did! And, let me tell you something; he has complete faith in your powers. I had Kohaku and Kanna follow him and his comrades to the gates of the World of the Dead, so they were there when he came out of there." Kagome smiled even more widely than Naraku; after all, Naraku's details were unmistakably the real ones, since that had been Sesshomaru's plan in the beginning. "He spoke into Kanna's mirror, and I saw just how much that man adores you..."

Naraku reached to Kagome and cupped her chin. "Just like Kikyo, you managed to ensnare a man's heart so completely. Just think of how heartbroken he's going to be when he finds out that you're dead," he grinned. Kagome gasped as she saw the dagger descending...

* * *

Bankotsu, Jakotsu and Suikotsu arrived at the village well area, to see Sango and Miroku unconscious. "Shippo! What happened to them?" Suikotsu asked when they landed.

Shippo seemed conflicted. At first, Bankotsu didn't understand what was wrong with the little kitsune. Kirara was licking a wound, but then looked up at the Shichinintai brothers and hissed. "Shippo, what's going on?" Suikotsu asked again.

"Please...Please don't hurt them," Shippo cried. Bankotsu went over to Sango and began to shake her into consciousness, paying Kirara's hissing little mind.

"Our Little Sister _was _captured, wasn't she?" Jakotsu surmised, seeing the condition of her friends.

Sango finally was roused. She opened her eyes, and saw that Bankotsu was over her. She screamed and gave him a hard slap. "Don't you touch me you _rapist!"_ Bankotsu backed off, momentarily stunned. "Koga told us all what happened when he caught you with Kagome!"

At once, everything clicked together in Bankotsu's mind. That damned wolf demon told them about that battle they had at the well, when he was returning Kagome to the well so she could take her test. "I'm shocked that it took Koga so long to tell you about that! Don't you people communicate at all?" Bankotsu sniffed.

"Never mind that right now! What happened to the monk? He's barely alive! Tell me what happened to him, right now!" Suikotsu yelled at Sango.

Sango gasped. Suikotsu was in doctor-personality, probably, in spite of the fact that he was yelling. Could he actually _do something?_ He was right, there wasn't a moment to lose. She'd take Bankotsu's balls off later... "Miroku opened the Kazaana," she began.

"What's that?" Suikotsu asked.

"It's the Wind Tunnel that the monk possesses, which is like a void. Anything in the path of the Kazaana gets absorbed into it, to where, no one knows." Bankotsu explained this briefly, as Naraku had told him months ago about it. "Demon slayer, did he suck up Saimyosho?"

Sango gasped and nodded. Bankotsu turned to Suikotsu. "Naraku created the Saimyosho for two reasons, one of them to spy on his enemies, and the other one was to poison this monk whenever he tried to use the Kazaana to absorb Naraku into the void. So right now, he's next to dead."

"Poisoned, you say?" Suikotsu murmured. He took Miroku's head into his hands, and he released the power he'd gotten from the Demon Empress. Miroku's power was fortunately just strong enough to use to repel the poison in his veins. Sango gasped again when Miroku's eyes flew open, and he turned around just in time to vomit black bile.

"Ugh! I...I'm alive?" Miroku panted after he was done. "Is that the poison from..."

"The insects, yes." Miroku turned back around to see Suikotsu.

"You're back? You're...alive?" Miroku asked. "Where did Sesshomaru go?"

"He's got Kohaku and Kanna, but he'll be here to retrieve Rin and Jaken, I'm certain. Come to think of it, he was probably already here, since he was ahead of us. How kind of him to see to your safety! I think I'll have to have some words with him about his manners sometime soon. By the way, is Kikyo here?" Suikotsu asked.

"She...she went after Kagome..." Shippo ventured to tell him. "And what do you mean, you're going to reprimand Sesshomaru about his manners? Are you crazy?"

Jakotsu gave Shippo a lopsided smile. "You're asking the wrong person if he's crazy, Shippo-chan!"

Sango began to shake her head hard. "Wait a minute! I still haven't killed you for hurting my best friend in the whole world, you bastard!" She lunged at Bankotsu, but he quickly caught her arm before she could land a blow.

"Slayer, if they had allowed me to, I would have remained without the shards in my neck, but Kagome insisted on putting them back," Bankotsu told her.

"And of course you should have! Naraku was tainting your Jewel Shards, but Kagome figured she could keep them purified!" Jakotsu reminded him.

Sango lowered her arm in surprise. "You..you mean _Naraku_ was ordering you to attack Kagome?"

"I begged her to stop me with the only slight presence of mind that I had left, but Naraku had control over my body at that point," Bankotsu broke off.

"And that was just after you had told us that Naraku's power over you was not as strong as it has been over Kohaku..." Sango pointed out.

"Naraku's power was growing stronger," Miroku reminded her with a slightly hoarse voice. "I believe that he's telling the truth."

"Yes, he is. Especially after what Kagome said, right before she was captured," Sango admitted as she recalled Kagome's words...

_I love him! Why is that so terrible that I love him?_

"I don't understand why she did not use Banryu!" Bankotsu said in anguish.

"She didn't want Banryu with it's jewel shard where it could get stolen by a demon. I...I guess she had lost so many jewel shards over time that she just didn't trust herself with it. Or, it could be that she didn't want to repeat the bloodshed that we apparently had here last time. So, she took herself and Banryu to her own era. Inuyasha followed her when Koga had told him about you. She got mad at him, like she always does, so she left him accidentally in her era and came back here. And Naraku's minions siezed the opportunity," Miroku told them.

"Oh, no! You mean Banryu is..." Jakotsu gasped.

"In Kagome's time, yes," Miroku told them. "Along with Inuyasha."

"Big Brother, I could probably get back to Kagome's time again, but it's going to be a bitch carrying that thing through the well, if I could even lift it..." Jakotsu fretted. "Maybe...I could take you through the well!"

"If it is meant to be so, then I will go with you, knowing that Inuyasha awaits me as well. But I must reclaim Banryu. She will come if she knows Kagome is in danger," Bankotsu told them. "Suikotsu, find out where Kagome and Kikyo are being held. We will be back probably before Renkotsu and Ginkotsu return, and then, once we are reunited, we will march on Naraku's allies and crush them.

"Now, Jakotsu, let's go," Bankotsu ordered. He let Jakotsu lead him to the well. "How do we do this, Brother?"

"It's simple. Just think of who is depending on you to be able to get through," Jakotsu instructed. Bankotsu's face changed slightly from that very serious look he'd been wearing to one of adoration. "Yes, that's it! Now, I'll think of my beloved Toshiro who I know is waiting for me, and together, we go!" And with that, Jakotsu leaped into the well, pulling Bankotsu with him into the blue light.


	37. Heroes?

_I never meant to leave you all hanging so long. I got very preoccupied with the election, so I couldn't concentrate much on writing. Now that it's over, I brushed the dust off this file that had been languishing for a couple of months, gave it an overhaul, and now upload it for your reading pleasure._

Little Sister

Chapter 36: Heroes?

"Jakotsu! What is this?" Bankotsu demanded as he and his brother-in-arms tumbled through the void between times.

"Don't worry, Big Brother, we'll be there soon! Weird, huh? Imagine that our Little Sister does this all the time, like it's nothing to her!" Jakotsu grinned.

"Well, you're getting good at it yourself! I'm not liking this too much!" Bankotsu admitted. "There's no ground!"

"Look, Bankotsu! There's the end of it, right up there!" Jakotsu pointed out to him. "Oh, Bankotsu, I can't wait until you meet Toshiro!"

"I hope we have time!" Bankotsu said.

"Maybe he'll be there! But don't worry, I know how to get to him quickly if he isn't there," Jakotsu assured his worried brother.

"Alright fine, as long as you make it really quick, Jakotsu!" Bankotsu snapped sharply. Then, he asked, "Ja, what kind of world is this we're going to?"

"It would take much longer to explain than we have time to talk, Big Brother, so you'll just have to see it for yourself! Here we come!" Jakotsu announced, and suddenly, the bright light surrounded them and settled them onto the dirt ground of a well, which technically was exactly the same well that they had leaped into, five hundred years ago.

"Hey, why's it so dark?" Bankotsu complained.

"There's a shrine built over the well here in these times. You'll see once we climb out of here."

Bankotsu leaped out of the well, and climbed up the shrine stairs, and slid the doors open. He had to blink several times to beleive what he was seeing. There was not just a shrine built around the well, but an entire complex built where there had once been just forest. He saw that most of the forest's tree were gone, except the God Tree. Jakotsu was beside him a few seconds later.

"That's Kagome's house there. I haven't been inside it actually, I've been too busy visiting my beloved Toshiro. Her grandfather is a Shinto priest, but he's actually rather odd, in my opinion. But maybe he might know if Kagome did something with Banryu."

"No, I think my Banryu is here, Jakotsu. Hurry up and find your Toshiro; time is of the essence!" Bankotsu warned him.

"Fine, but remember, Inuyasha is here too!" Jakotsu said.

"Just go. I think if he was here, he would have been attacking us by now, so he's probably not around. Once I have my Banryu back, if Inuyasha wants to start some shit, I'll be more than happy to take him back to our times and oblige," Bankotsu answered. Jakotsu just gave a nod and dashed off.

Bankotsu scanned the area. The house was put together rather well, in his opinion. Surely, in all those years, people might have figured out how to make houses that were more sturdy, he thought as he peered into the sliding glass doors that led inside. But then again, who ever heard of making doors out of glass?

He slid the door open tentatively. He took a step inside, and to his joy, he found Banryu right there! He gasped and picked his baby up once more. "Kagome! Thank you for keeping her safe, though it was supposed to be the other way around!" Bankotsu turned around and looked at the room in front of him. So much furniture! He had never seen chairs with padding on them! He actually squeezed one of them, just to feel how soft it might be. He noticed a large screen that reminded him of the screen on his cam-era. And, much to his surprise, on a low table before the screen, there was his cam-era! _What's this doing here? Did Kagome take this to see my pictures? She must have! She was scared that I wouldn't come back!_ Bankotsu dropped down before the large screen, examining it. Then, another item caught his eye. It looked like a photo of a person but it had no colors in it.

Before he could touch the item, Bankotsu thought he heard a sort of squeak. Like quicksilver, Bankotsu rose from the floor and crept silently away. He walked a few feet into the hallway that led upstairs. And since he heard nothing more, he continued up the stairs, since he saw something hanging on the wall. When he got to it, he saw that there were photos, a lot like the ones in his cam-era. They were of Kagome! Bankotsu tapped the glass of the picture frame, having never seen such ornamentation on a wall in Japan before, let alone with glass over it. He unhooked the frame off the wall, and happily proceeded into the upstairs hallway. There were a few doors, and they were all closed. Bankotsu wandered past one, which had nothing hanging on it at all. Another had a pair of small house slippers before it. He turned the knob, but it wouldn't give. He backed away, then turned to another door. He touched it. It felt like _Kagome..._ He turned that knob, and it opened.

Bankotsu gaped at Kagome's bedroom. The pink carpeting under his feet. The bed she slept in when she was here. The white desk with the well-worn chair, with books covering the top. He placed Banryu down on the carpeted floor, and put the picture frame on the bed. He knelt on the floor, and just touched the ruffle of the bedspread. _Kagome, please be well until I get you back! You will sleep in your pretty warm bed once more. You will get to read your books again, I swear it on my new life that I will make sure that happens._ A snapping sound make Bankotsu stir. Then he noticed the sunset beams had crossed over Kagome's bed from one of the windows, and Bankotsu gasped. He hadn't realized he'd spent so long in this house! He had to get back.

But when he turned around, he saw a small boy backing away from the door in sheer terror...

* * *

Sota had been in the bathroom. While he was in there, someone tried to open the door, but obviously couldn't since he'd locked it. _That was stupid, _he had thought, _didn't they see the bathroom slippers right outside the door?_ When he got out, he had gone to his bedroom, where he had picked up his cell phone. He had been thinkng of calling Inuyasha back and inviting him to dinner, since he loved Mom's cooking so much. Inuyasha had taken Kagome's cell phone, (since he had learned how to pick up calls and read text messages one of the last times he was here, when Kagome had gotten ligitimately sick with a cold) and had gone with Toshiro to his friend Kazu's place, where they had a Guitar Hero battle going on.

Between the time he went from the bathroom to his bedroom, Sota had heard Kagome's bedroom door squeak open. _Oh, good, she's back,_ Sota had thought,_ so now we can call Inuyasha back and they could make up so she loses interest in this evil Bankotsu guy that Inuyasha told me would hurt her if she kept going with him!_ So imagine Sota's shock when he saw, in his sister's bedroom, a young man with a long braid and that huge halberd that Kagome had plopped at their door, kneeling in the waning sunset and feeling the bedspread ruffle.

_I have to get Inuyasha!_ Sota thought in panic, and then very quickly texted his sister's cell phone as fast as he could and as silently as he could, not wanting to alert this Bankotsu to his presence. It was only at the last second, when he snapped the phone shut, that Bankotsu turned to look in his direction. Sota couldn't scream, he was too afraid, so imagine his surprise when Bankotsu bowed his head to the carpeted floor and said, "Please do not fear me! I mean you no harm."

Sota finally found his voice. _**"MOM!!!"**_ he screamed, then dashed down the stairs. Bankotsu swept down as well, and followed Sota's screams to the kitchen, and he stopped dead. A woman whose eyes resembled his Kagome's a great deal stood in a corner. The look in those eyes tore at his heart. It was nearly as bad as if Kagome were staring back at him with such fright. Of course, it occurred to him that here he was, wearing full battle armor, with a huge weapon in his hand. Not everyone was like Kagome, who learned how to ignore the weapons and see who was carrying them instead. So, Bankotsu pointed Banryu down, and repeated, "Please don't be afraid of me! I am Bankotsu of the Shichinintai. I only came here to claim my Banryu, which Kagome had kept in this era for safe keeping. I will leave you in peace now. I am only glad I got a chance to see with my own eyes the mother and brother of my Kagome."

The slide door banged open. _**"INUYASHA! HELP!!!"**_ Sota cried.

_"Bankotsu! Get the hell away from them!"_ Inuyasha roared as he charged into the kitchen.

_"Outside, Inuyasha!"_ Bankotsu hissed back, now pointing Banryu right at him.

"Agreed," Inuyasha seethed, then turned on his heel to go back outside.

* * *

Inuyasha had been at the home of Toshiro Hojo's friend Kazu. At first, Inuyasha kept the baseball hat on, knowing that was what he always did when he visited Kagome in her era, so people didn't get upset when they saw his Akita's ears. But his appearance was still unusual, so Toshiro still had some explaining to do.

What he came up with was pretty damn brilliant. "Well, he's an upper classman, but he's trying out his costume for the Cultural Festival next week," Toshiro said smoothly as he and Inuyasha sat down on Kazu's sofa and Toshiro's friend turned on the Playstation.

"It's _awesome!_ Guess what I'm dressing up as? Ichigo from _Bleach,"_ Kazu reported, as he handed this mysterious "upperclassman" a guitar. Inuyasha shrugged and took it. He and Sota had played Guitar Hero before. He knew what he had to do. The strange but fun things they do to pass the time in this era continually fascinated Inuyasha. That, and McDonald's.

After roughly a half hour, Kazu knew that he was hopelessly outstripped by Inuyasha, whose quicker reflexes and sensitive ears were both extremely valuable assets to playing the game. Suddenly, Kagome's cell phone, which Inuyasha had put on Kazu's coffee table, began to buzz.

"You're buzzing," Toshiro reminded him. Inuyasha took the phone and flipped it open, spending a second more than normal to think about how to retrieve the "New Text Message from Sota." Then, he pressed the correct button, and read the unbelievable message: "Bankotsu is here."

_That bastard! How did he get here!_ Inuyasha pretty much tossed the guitar onto the sofa and said, "I gotta go!"

"Whew? Something going on?" Kazu asked in confusion.

Toshiro picked up the cell phone that Inuyasha dropped in his haste to get out the door. He read the message and said, "Yeah, I'd say something came up. I'll see you later!" And he left too.

Now, Inuyasha faced his enemy. How far had he gotten with Kagome? The mere thought of this scum touching her was enough to send his blood to boiling. Was he doomed to repeat this sick game, of a woman he loves being consumed and destroyed by some vile human? First Kikyo being destroyed by Naraku, and now Kagome with this Bankotsu. He pointed Tetsusaiga at him, his hated foe, and grimly realized that he loved Kagome. It was a grim realization, indeed, because he might just have lost her.

He asked Bankotsu, "How long did you think that you would get away with having violated Kagome without anyone else finding out?"

"I swear to you that I did not defile my Kagome. What Koga must have told you is what he thought was the truth, but had you asked Kagome, she would have told her differently."

Inuyasha pondered this for a moment. "Alright, fine, let's say I beleive you. It won't save you."

"That doesn't matter. The truth is the truth. Whether you kill me, believe me, or not, will not matter," Bankotsu pointed out.

"If I believe you, that will work even better for me in the end. Because this mean I save Kagome from you, a filthy lecher of a corpse!"

Bankotsu then felt the smile cross his lips. "Corpse, am I? Better take another sniff of the air, Inuyasha!" He watched as Inuyasha did so, put his sensitive nose to the air and sniffed. Bankotsu watched the look of growing dismay cross his face. _Yes, that's right Inuyasha. I'm no longer a decaying corpse. It was only that I had been one that beautiful night when Kagome offered herself to me, yes ME, that I restrained myself. Now, I no longer have that problem. And you know it..._

* * *

_Note: Yeah, I know, short chapter. Just like with the Las Vegas stuff, I just had to do something with Inuyasha playing Guitar Hero. Too bad that he and Bankotsu can't face off with the Playstation instead of their weapons! Next chapter, a stunning development! Has Naraku finally gone too far? _


	38. Hojo's Arrival

Little Sister

Chapter 37: Hojo's Arrival

Toshiro limped through the streets of Tokyo. He was glad that Kazu didn't live too far away from the Higurashi shrine, or he would have been in real trouble. If Bankotsu made it through the well, surely that meant that his beloved Jakotsu also made it through too, right? He winced a little more with each step. It didn't matter, he told himself. Jakotsu was worth the pain.

Suddenly, he felt a strong hand grip his arm. Toshiro gasped and turned around. _"Ja...Jakotsu?"_ he stammered. With the smile on the other man's face, Toshiro knew in an instant that it really was Jakotsu. "You made it back!"

"Come with me, as fast as you can, my beloved!" Jakotsu urged him. "Is your ankle still ailing you?"

"Jakotsu! You look wonderful! You look so alive! I would never have known if you hadn't gone and done...whatever it was you did..." Toshiro gasped.

"Aren't you sweet? Here I have no make up on, I must look like hell! No matter, my brother Suikotsu shall be able to heal your ankle far better than these monsters in these days!" Jakotsu proclaimed.

"But, Jakotsu, that would mean that you'd be taking me with you?" Toshiro asked breathlessly as he was fairly carried by Jakotsu by one shoulder. The duo caught a few glances from others, but for the most part, they were moving far too quickly through the streets to be noticed very closely. Besides, Jakotsu, aside from the fact that his hair was falling loose from a jade butterfly pin, didn't look quite as feminine as usual, and therefore, didn't attract the usual amount of attention from others.

"If you aren't able to come through the well, then I will take Suikotsu here to heal you. One way or the other, I will help you, as you have helped me."

"How did I help you? I think I'm just a big hinderance," Toshiro sighed.

"Nonsense! You gave me a reason to take a chance and go with Sesshomaru to the World of the Dead! If it were not for you, I think I would have decided to dissolve once my time was determined, once Naraku needed his jewel shard back. No, my beloved, you have helped me more than I can ever tell you!" Jakotsu told him fiercely.

"The World of the Dead? I had no idea you were going to a place like that? Oh, Jakotsu, how did you ever manage to get out of there alive?" Toshiro asked.

"It was Inuyasha's elder brother that aided us. Speaking of Inuyasha, have you come across him here? I heard from his comrades that he was left here by my Little Sister," Jakotsu asked.

"Inuyasha got a text message from Kagome's brother, telling him that Bankotsu is there. I'll bet he already made it back to the shrine!" Toshiro told Jakotsu, showing him the text on Kagome's cell phone.

"Hmph! I knew I hated those things for a reason!" Jakotsu groused as he quickened their pace back to the Higurashi shrine...

* * *

It was a moment of complete stillness. Bankotsu standing about ten feet away from Inuyasha, both of them pointing their fearsome weapons at eachother. The sky above their heads almost seemed to darken with the tension in that moment, but actually, it was getting dark outside. Kagome's mother and brother stood just inside the sliding doors, she with her hand over her mouth to keep from screaming, he with his hands in fists at his sides.

The two enemies eyed eachother, waiting to see who would strike first. But they didn't have a chance to strike at eachother, because a third strike occurred first. A wave of silver slithered between them effectively breaking the spell of tension. "Big Brother!" Jakotsu called, effectively ignoring the murderous glare coming from both Bankotsu and Inuyasha. "I'm back, so we can go now! Oh, I see you managed to get here too, Inuyasha. Well, if you want to get back to our time of we can rescue Kagome from Naraku, you'd better get ready to go too!"

"Wait! Kagome's been captured?" Mrs. Higurashi gasped.

"By Naraku?" Inuyasha demanded. "How did that happen?"

"Apparently, it must have happened right after she returned without you!" Jakotsu clarified.

"Naraku? Isn't he..._the bad guy?"_ Sota asked.

"Yeah, he's _the bad guy,"_ Inuyasha agreed. His head was swirling. Kagome was in Naraku's clutches! Here he had that son of a bitch Bankotsu right where he wanted him, and now, he'd have to forgo the chance to kill him without Kagome being around to see it. "How did you get here anyway?" he suddenly demanded from both Shichinitai brothers.

"I can go through the well," Jakotsu told him. "Big Brother needed his weapon, and, I had to tell Toshiro in person that I was back!"

"Huh?" Inuyasha asked, then shook his head. _Never mind that one, he never makes any sense! I can smell them both now, I don't smell graveyard soil and dead bodies! I...I have to smell Suikotsu too. I have to know, and if I don't get back through the well, I'll never know._ "Toshiro! You're coming with us?"

"Yes, if he can make it through the well," Jakotsu told them.

"Mom Higurashi, I promise I'll get Kagome back, even if it's the last thing I do!" Inuyasha told her.

"It had better not be the last thing you do, Inuyasha!" Kagome's mother cried. Bankotsu turned his eyes to hers. He tried to tell her, with just his eyes, that he'd made a vow to return his Kagome to this time, to safety. Could she tell? He didn't know. He just didn't know.

* * *

Renkotsu and Ginkotsu paced by the Bone Eater's well. Shippo was with them, answering their barrage of questions. "When did Koga leave here?"

"Once he saw Kagome wasn't here, he had left. After he had told us he had stopped Bankotsu from attacking Kagome, that is," Shippo sighed unhappily. "Everybody was acting really weird about it after that."

"Don't worry, Shippo-chan; Bankotsu would _never_ have done that to Kagome! He loves her!" Ginkotsu assured the kitsune.

"Yeah, like you do..." Renkotsu said almost under his breath.

Ginkotsu frowned very deeply. "Of course I love her; she's our little sister!"

"Right," Renkotsu agreed slyly. And just as Ginkotsu growled and reached for Renkotsu to straighten his thinking with a pounding on the head, a blue light began to engulf the surrounding air. Soon, a familiar sight, Banryu, poked up through the well. Shippo yelped in alarm as he bounced away to make room for the men bounding out of the well. First, Bankotsu, then Inuyasha, and followign them, Jakotsu, who turned around to reach behind him. Soon, a new face greeted the Sengoku Jidai.

"Is that who I think it is?" Renkotsu muttered.

"Gin? What are you doing to your brother?" Bankotsu asked sharply. Ginkotsu dropped Renkotsu like a hot stone and made like he was completely innocent. Shippo giggled in spite of all the bad things going on lately. Jakotsu carefully guided Toshiro out of the well. The young man was agog at the sight of Jakotsu's brothers. "Has Suikotsu come back yet?"

"No, and why did you send _him_ to scout ahead? You always send Jakotsu for that?" Renkotsu asked.

"I needed to have him take me to Kagome's time to get Banryu back," Bankotsu explained to Renkotsu very shortly.

Toshiro stood on the edge of the well, listening to their excited chatter, their outbursts and tempermental wisecracks, mostly ignored, except by Shippo. "Are you from Kagome's time too? Is that your school uniform? How come it's black, and not white and green like Kagome's?"

"Uh, is that a tail?" Toshiro asked.

"Look I'm sure this is a very stimulating conversation, but we've got to get moving!" Renkotsu cut in, giving Toshiro a cold look. Sheepishly, Toshiro stepped onto the grass.

"Just one moment! Brothers, though one of us is not here at the moment, there is something else we must do before we leave here. Renkotsu, Ginkotsu, Jakotsu...come here." Bankotsu ordered them. Jakotsu patted Toshiro's hand and smiled at him before joining his other two comrades lined up before Bankotsu.

Curious, Toshiro, watched as Bankotsu first reached for Renkotsu's face. "Renkotsu, my second-in-command, the one who commands the elements, one of the Shichinintai!" he said, and with his fingers, he traced lines over Renkotsu's face. Lines of purple streaked down his cheeks, over his brows, and a symbol appeared on his forehead. Renkotsu responded with a nod and murmured, "Big Brother." Then, Bankotsu went to Ginkotsu, a big, burly, wild haired fellow with gleaming silver armor, and said "Ginkotsu, the silver one, one of the Shichinitai!" Bright blue circles appeared around his eyes and slashed of the same blue across his cheeks. He answered, "Big Brother," just like Renkotsu had. Bankotsu went to Jakotsu, who grinned evilly. "Jakotsu, the snake, one of the Shichinintai!" Bankotsu declared as two deep blue streaks reappeared after their short absence. Toshiro barely contained an "Aha!" as Jakotsu acknowleged "Big Brother," with a bigger grin than before.

They all took a step back as Bankotsu raised Banryu in the night air and a four pointed star appeared on his forehead. "And I am Bankotsu, the brutal one! One of the Shichinintai!"

Inuyasha, who had been remarkably silent until now, finally remarked, "Teh! Even if you manage to track down Suikotsu, that still leaves you with only _five!"_ he reminded them with a sneer.

Bankotsu's blue eyes glittered with utter delight. "Perhaps you might have forgotten _Mikokotsu?"_ he asked with a broad smile. The other brothers of the Shichinintai nearly gasped, and Renkotsu let out a small laugh as he saw Inuyasha's expression.

_"Kagome will never be one of you!"_ Inuyasha sputtered. "Now, I'd better go find that mad moron before he gets himself killed!" With that, he leaped into the night sky as he often does.

"What's he doing? How is he going to find Suikotsu when you all smell different now?" Shippo sighed in frustration.

"That's a good point Shippo!" Renkotsu answered. "Besides, even if he does find Suikotsu, what's he going to do?"

"Presumably, keep him from getting killed," Toshiro piped up.

Now, Renkotsu gave Toshiro a dirty look. "So, you must be our new Little Brother! Delightful! Just wonderful. Made my day, meeting you!" Toshiro was drawn into Jakotsu's arms. They were protective. "Toshiro Hojo is mine, and I am his, and that is all you need to bother about, Renkotsu, so stay away from him if you don't like it!"

"Well, Inuyasha should certainly be happy then, shouldn't he?" Renkotsu remarked.

"What is with you? You are acting downright evil!" Ginkotsu growled.

"I'm tired. Without that jewel shard, I've been just like I was when I was alive before; worn out before everyone else," Renkotsu sighed.

"Well, take a nap then!" Jakotsu snapped.

"Fuck off, Jakotsu!" Renkotsu bit out.

_**"That's enough!"**_ Bankotsu boomed. Toshiro shuddered in Jakotsu's arms ever so slightly. "First of all, Inuyasha's pretty damned pissed, and Jakotsu is the last person on earth that he's thinking about. I don't know what he's doing going after Suikotsu, but anything that keeps him from causing us trouble is good enough for me. If he's going to be in any way a disruption, Toshiro will have to go back into the well, Jakotsu! And Renkotsu, if you can't keep your damned mouth shut, when I find Suikotsu I'm going to have him wire your jaw shut!" He turned his glaring blue eyes on Toshiro. "Keep out of the way, Toshiro. Once Suikotsu is back with us, I understand you have knowledge of herbs and remedies, so you can help him. He's our doctor as well as our warrior brother. And Inuyasha is worried for nothing; Suikotsu is probably one of the toughest sons of bitches that I've ever known."

Toshiro clenched his jaw to keep from talking. They thought he was pretty much useless! What was he going to do to prove his worth? He glanced up into the night sky of five hundred years in the past. There were so many stars that he never got to see, since he lived in a city where the lights made it almost impossible to see any of them at night. Some odd shadows crossed over the stars, shaped like really large hornets of some sort.

"Jakotsu, what are those things?" Toshiro asked him. Jakotsu and a few of the others glanced up, and the curses started flying again.

"Saimyosho! What are they doing here?" Ginkotsu grunted.

"Spying, most likely," Renkotsu opined.

"But there's a lot of them! I don't like this..." Shippo said. And just as those words left his lips, a horrible shriek, distant but still startling, filled their ears.

"It's Sango!" Shippo said, leaping up and darting toward her. Everyone raced to follow him, including Toshiro, who Jakotsu fairly dragged by the hand. Over the hill, Toshiro saw a young Buddhist monk, a very large cat with fire surrounding her paws and two tails, and a young woman dressed much like a ninja. She was sobbing over a small bundle on the ground, the young monk was restraining Shippo.

Bankotsu did not wait. He dropped his huge halberd on the ground and ran over to the sobbing woman, who began to yell at him, calling him a bastard and that he should get the hell away. This did not seem to stop Bankotsu, who looked at the bundle on the ground. The blood curdling wail that he cried out afterward made Toshiro's stomach twist.

Renkotsu demanded from the monk, "Miroku-sama, what the hell happened?"

"The...Saimyosho...dropped it here...for us. No, Shippo, you can't, not yet!" the monk insisted as Shippo wriggled in his arms.

Toshiro knew it was really bad. He broke from Jakotsu, ran as fast as he could, ignoring the searing pain of his ankle. Bankotsu was on his knees, nearly convulsing with anguish. With the widest eyes he'd ever had, Toshiro edged around the sobbing Sango and saw, finally, what he almost figured it was, though it was still a terrible shock, sending jolts of helpless powers throbbing through his fingers.

It was Kagome's head.

* * *

_Next chapter, Toshiro makes himself useful, especially to Bankotsu!_


	39. Kyokotsu's Turn

_Note: I have been reading with evil glee all of the frantic reviews. I posted the chapter around 12:30 at night my time, and I actually had trouble going to sleep after that. I was kind of nervous; I knew that last chapter was going to be a shocker. But just bear with me, because I'm setting up everyone right where I want them. For what? You'll soon see!_

Little Sister

Chapter 38: Kyokotsu's Turn

Bankotsu heard words, but didn't notice what they were. He thought they might be coming from the monk, but he wasn't really sure. How would the monk be able to speak louder than the voice inside his own head, that hateful tormentor, who had immediately convinced him that this was all his fault? _If I'd only obeyed Naraku, Kagome would not have had to suffer for it. If only I hadn't laid eyes on her, if only I had never been brought back..._

His throat was too hoarse to scream any more. The wails of lament had grown quieter and more distant around Bankotsu, so apparently he wasn't the only one. Or maybe that was because he'd somehow gotten up from his knees and found Banryu and dragged her away from them in silence. Yes, that must have been it. He sunk against the strength of a large tree, and suddenly, his head grew much lighter. His inner voice abruptly shut the hell up. Banryu glinted in the corner of his eye. "Am I sitting by the God Tree?" he asked aloud. Only the wind answered, and Bankotsu didn't understand the wind. All he knew was that the night would have been beautiful, had it not been so horrible. The wind was getting warmer, the moon was shining above the trees. If he could reach out his hand and hold Kagome's, it would have been perfect. His mind traveled back in time to that night not long ago, when she found him by the lake. Imagine, she had asked him if he was cold! Bankotsu laughed aloud, unheeding of who heard him or not. He remembered her touch... and, he remembered what she had told him...

"Kagome loved me! She said it! I believe she was speaking the truth! Soon, very soon, I'll be with her again. Once I exact justice and revenge for her demise, I shall join her in death and together we will be forever. Only by destroying Naraku can I in any way hope to redeem my worth to her. But once I do that, we can be together! Banryu, baby, we've got one last job, and then, we will be free forever!"

On the other side of the God Tree, one of Bankotsu's brothers overheard him. He tried going around, to Bankotsu's side, and reached toward the devastated lad. But Bankotsu didn't even see him, didn't react, had no idea he was even there. Kyokotsu sighed; he thought it was worth a try at least. After all, Mukotsu had said that Bankotsu could see _him._ Well, there was nothing to be done except to speak to the one person he knew he could speak to around here. So, he sadly drifted away, and sought out Toshiro Hojo.

The lad was sitting near Sango. Jakotsu rested his head on Toshiro's shoulder. Jakotsu was taking Kagome's death hard. Sango didn't seem to want to let Kagome's head out of her sight. "So, it would seem that she was not only a sister to us, was she?" Jakotsu said softly.

"No, you're right. Kagome...was like the sister I never had..." Sango wept. "Now, Kohaku is all I have, and Naraku has him..."

Toshiro kept very quiet. He gazed at Kagome's head, as it started to get less and less difficult to look at. Here he had thought all those violent movies he'd seen might desensitize him, but as it turned out, as accurate as they tried to be with their graphic depiction of death, it was still make believe wasn't it? This was someone he had cared for. He'd even wanted, at one time, desperately for her to go out with him. So, why was he having this reaction? Why was this still feeling like a movie?

He touched Kagome's head. Immediately, something came over him. It was as though an eerie chill sliced through his head. _This isn't her._

Toshiro took his finger off her forehead. And just as fast the feeling came, it went away. Daring to touch her again, Toshiro placed his hand on her forehead again. _This isn't her._

"What is it, Toshiro? What are you doing?" Jakotsu asked him in a whisper while Sango was turned away to wipe her eyes. Jakotsu had seized Toshiro's hand, which was still pressed against Kagome's head, so as a result, more of the "message" came through. _This head couldn't be hers, because this head was never alive._

"I'm sorry Jakotsu. Something just came over me, that's all." Toshiro took his hand away. Then, he got up to stretch his legs. "I'll be right back, Jakotsu." Toshiro knew Jakotsu would start to track him very soon. No doubt this business spooked him. Poor Kagome! And poor, poor Bankotsu! What he must be going through! Toshiro walked a few steps, and his ankle ached. He rubbed his head, as though he had a headache, which was possible, since that cold knife had been stuck in his head. He looked back up, and then gasped.

A giant man stood before him. "Oh, Hojo, don't worry, I'm just trying to get a minute to talk to you, that's all!" the giant said. Toshiro realized something. One of Jakotsu's late brothers was a giant; he'd read it on Wikipedia!

"Are...are you who I think you are? Are you Kyokotsu?" Toshiro asked.

Kyokotsu grinned. "You already know who I am? That's great, because we don't have a moment to lose! Bankotsu needs your help desperately. He needs you to talk to him!"

By that time, Jakotsu had already raced to his side. "Toshiro? What are you doing talking about Kyokotsu-aniki?"

"Well, he's right there, don't you see him?" Toshiro answered in a small voice. Jakotsu gazed into the dark shrine complex and saw nothing, apparently, since he shook his head.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot to tell you, Jakotsu can't see me."

"Oh, and I guess that he can't hear you either, right?" Toshiro clarified.

"No, I'm sorry. Only someone with your kind of power can see me. Even Bankotsu cannot see me. I am just not strong enough, I guess. That's why you must come with me, please! I need to say something to him, and I need you to tell him what I'm saying," Kyokotsu explained.

"Kyokotsu-aniki, please, if you can hear me, please leave my beloved in peace!" Jakotsu said suddenly.

"I can hear him perfectly, even though he can't hear me," Kyokotsu told Toshiro.

"Jakotsu, it's okay, don't worry," Toshiro assured Jakotsu, whose dark eyes were frantic. "He just wants to say something to Bankotsu, that's all."

Suddenly, Jakotsu brightened up. "Ah! A visit from one of our deceased brothers in a time of terrible crisis to offer words of assurance! How sweet of him! Maybe that service that Bankotsu insisted we have for him was helpful after all! Maybe it's about Kagome!" Without another word, Toshiro and Jakotsu started looking for Bankotsu.

They found him reaching up for the sky from where he was sitting at the foot of the God Tree. "You see what I mean?" Kyokotsu asked Toshiro. Jakotsu found himself wiping a tear away, and Toshiro patted his other hand.

"What do I say to him?" Toshiro asked.

"For starters, tell him what you were thinking when you touched that head," Kyokotsu urged him.

Toshiro gasped. "Are...are you sure I should do that?"

"You can see me, can't you? You have an affinity with the dead. If I were you, I'd trust what message you were getting!" Kyokotsu advised him.

"But!"

"But look at him!" Kyokotsu countered.

Toshiro grasped Jakotsu's hand. "Here goes, then." He came over to sit beside Bankotsu, who seemed to not see him. Grief was very quickly eating away his mind. Toshiro swallowed, then cleared his throat. "Bankotsu, sir?" Bankotsu made no effort to speak, but, somehow, seemed to convey the impression that he was listening by slightly shifting his blue eyes toward Toshiro's deep gray ones. "Um, Kyokotsu is here."

Bankotsu sharpened his focus on Toshiro, and the look he gave him nearly made Toshiro wither into dried leaves. "Please, sir, it's true. Uh, he says he's a Twice-dead too, like Mukotsu is..." He looked up at Jakotsu and asked, "What's a Twice-dead?"

But now Bankotsu's lightning quick grip was on Toshiro's shoulders. "What, what does he say? Why can't I see him? Is it about Kagome?"

Toshiro swallowed. "He, Kyokotsu, he suggested I tell you what I was thinking when I touched the head before. Sir, I had this overwhelming feeling that it wasn't really Kagome's head. I mean, it felt like it had been made specially to make us think it was real. I mean, it looks real, but, what if it isn't? I guess that's what Kyokotsu wanted me to tell you. Right? Was there anything else you wanted to say?"

"Yes, tell him that I sent Mukotsu to help Kagome. And, since he hasn't come back to me complaining that she's already dead, I suppose he has found her with her head still attached to her!" Kyokotsu added quickly. Toshiro repeated all this to Bankotsu, who by now had tears flowing down his face.

"You wonderful, wonderful boy!" Bankotsu cried. "Oh, Jakotsu, you found your beloved one at last, how wonderful he is!"

"Isn't he?" Jakotsu asked, joining them beside the God Tree.

"Where is he? Where is Kyokotsu? Can he hear me?" Bankotsu asked Toshiro.

"He's right here beside us, and he can hear every word," Toshiro assured him.

"Kyokotsu, thank you, thank you so much!" Bankotsu called out to him. This conversation began to gain other people's attention, since Bankotsu fairly shouted his thanks to a dead man who was supposed to be deep in the Void.

"What's this about Kyokotsu?" Renkotsu demanded.

"Kagome might not be dead," Jakotsu answered him. He watched Renkotsu's reaction, as though waiting for him to scoff at the thought.

Instead, the strategist nodded thoughtfully. "You know, our little sister warned me long ago that Naraku likes to play games. This could be one of them. After all, if you think about it, the stupidest thing Naraku could ever do is kill the one person who might be able to help him find jewel shards."

Ginkotsu added, "Not to mention that dropping that head here would seriously demoralize her group, her family! I mean, how many times have we done it ourselves?" Suddenly, he turned his attention to the sky. "I thought I just saw green flare!"

"Suikotsu! He's either in danger or he's found Naraku! We must join him immediately!" Bankotsu declared. "Sango, bring the head here to me! I think it's time I called Naraku's bluff!" He picked up Banryu and pointed it toward the direction in which Suikotsu's flare had just exploded. "We are coming for you, Kagome!"

* * *

Inuyasha sniffed the air. For a few miles now, he'd detected a scent. He had a feeling it was indeed Suikotsu's, but he wouldn't know until he finally reached the mad fool. Life was unfair in the extreme! How could the man he wanted most to rip apart in this world be an ancestor of the woman he loved? Okay, maybe he'd put Bankotsu and Naraku ahead of Suikotsu on his "TO RIP APART" list, and hope like hell that Bankotsu wasn't some long lost relative of anyone important. Well, even if he was, Inuyasha didn't care. Sure, somewhere not too far away, Sesshomaru must be laughing like a mad demon!

So wrapped up in this dismal thought loop, Inuyasha didn't notice that he'd slipped up ever so slightly leaping from one tree branch to another, causing the branch to crack and shiver a bit. That warning was all Suikotsu needed to hear. Inuyasha was nearly sliced apart by Suikotsu's claws as he made his final landing. "Hey! What the heck are you doing?" the hanyo growled as Suikotsu made a dive for Inuyasha's throat.

"Are you here to cause trouble, Inuyasha?" Suikotsu asked. Inuyasha didn't answer. Instead, he inhaled, deeply, and then, let the air back out of his lungs slowly. As the air left his nose, he closed his eyes, as though the smell would be somehow dampened by the lack of sight. His amber eyes opened again to glare at him, that person he despised.

And he answered, "No."

Suikotsu lowered his claws. "Good, because it would be far better if you were here to help me," he declared. Inuyasha drew another deep breath through his nose, then Suikotsu commented, "Do you have a cold?"

"No! It's just...you smell different now that you are alive," Inuyasha told him. He was NOT going to tell him anything else.

"Well, I should hope so! Now, I'm looking for the place where Naraku is probably holding Kikyo and Kagome. Oh, that's right, you're back from that well. So that must mean that Bankotsu and Jakotsu are back too, right?"

"Yeah, and actually, Jakotsu took another person from Kagome's time with him," Inuyasha added. "So, how are you tracking this monster that took Kagome?"

"I'm not tracking a monster, I'm tracking a barrier," Suikotsu corrected him.

"Do you think there's another barrier? Because I can bust through any dumb barriers Naraku puts up!" Inuyasha declared.

"Probably, since he needs a barrier that will allow demons through it now, right?" Suikotsu reasoned. Inuyasha felt a moment of unease; what if Naraku's barrier here was like the one he had a Mount Hakurei? He wouldn't be able to get through, but Suikotsu would be able to. And that did not suit him at all! Inuyasha watched Suikotsu raise his hand in front of him, as though he were actually blind and had to be able to feel in front of him. He proceeded forward this way, and Inuyasha drew his brows down, but kept silent for the time being.

After a few minutes, Inuyasha shouted, "I see it now! Look at that castle!"

"Yes. There's been a lot of activity of a military fashion here recently. Can you see what I mean?" Suikotsu asked him.

"Yeah, I can smell all the blood and horse shit," Inuyasha groused.

"And I can see the evidence of the outdoor infirmary there," Suikotsu said, pointing at one area, which to Inuyasha's eyes didn't look all that different from the other littered areas around the castle. "Now, when Kanna pointed her mirror at Bankotsu to show him that Kagome had been captured, he said she was in what looked like the salt cellar. Can you smell the salt from here?" Suikotsu asked Inuyasha.

Instantly, Inuyasha sniffed the air, then grinned and pointed right through the gates. Suikotsu and Inuyasha then emerged from the bushes they were hiding behind, and hastily approached the gates. Suikotsu stopped suddenly, and Inuyasha said, "I just got a whiff of a great deal of death, Suikotsu!"

"Yes, the guards are missing! What is going on here? Fine, let's keep going, but we'd better be very careful; there's most likely a trap here just waiting to be sprung!" Suikotsu put his hand up again.

This time, Inuyasaha had to ask, "What's with you holding your hand before you like that?"

Suikotsu answered, "Well, if there's a barrier, this way I'll be able to feel it, won't I?"

Inuyasha snorted. "If there's a barrier, it won't matter if you can feel it, since you won't be able to get through it. I guess it's a good thing I came along isn't it?"

Suikotsu sighed and put his hand down. "Yes, you're probably right, if there's a trap set for us, Naraku would hardly put a barrier around it to prevent us from tripping it, would he?"

"Um, that's not what I said..." Inuyasha said in confusion as they entered the gates. Inuyasha sniffed the air again. "The salt cellar is there!" he reported, pointing to a low, domed building within the walls.

"Look at all these dead soldiers!" Suikotsu gasped as they made their way through the courtyards. "This must have happened not too long ago, the torches are all still lit! I hope the ladies are alright!"

"The doors to the salt cellar are open already!" Inuyasha found as they ran over the dead littering their path. They charged into the cellar. Kagome was, of course, not in there. The only evidence of her presence there at all were her clothes, neatly folded and set down, just like she always did when she took a bath. "Kagome? Are you here?" Inuyasha called out.

Suikotsu looked further. "Someone else had been here, there's two sets of footprints, bare feet, most likely both women's feet. Kagome walked out this door..."

"Sounds like you've been getting lessons from Jakotsu," Inuyasha commented.

"Oh, I pick up things here and there, but he's far better than I. But I'm sure you can smell her scent, can't you?" Suikotsu suggested.

"It's very faint. I smell much more of Naraku's miasma than of Kagome. Hey, I've noticed something. It's almost like the dead bodies are making a pathway. Do you see what I mean?" Inuyasha pointed out. Suikotsu walked back out of the salt cellar and looked over the area.

"You're right. It's like...they fell down dead wherever she walked. You know, there's so many bodies here, I'm almost jealous." Suikotsu had a slight smirk on his face when he said that, but then he turned much more serious. "Aright, Inuyasha, you'd better close your ears, because this can be a little noisy."

"What the hell are you doing? Naraku will know for sure that you're here!" Inuyasha gasped in anger as Suikotsu shot off his green flare into the night sky.

"He already knows I'm here, believe me. Either that or he's not paying any attention. In any case, I want the rest of the Shichinintai and your allies to know where we are. I just hope we aren't too far away for Big Brother to see the flare. I don't like the looks of this at all. Unless of course..."

Inuyasha said, "What?"

"Nothing. I was going to say, this almost looks like something Mukotsu could have done. But he's dead, so it couldn't have been..." Suikotsu mused.

* * *

Kikyo waited in one rather bare room in the fortress. She could sense the overwhelming power of the Shikon Jewel, and knew that it was Naraku approaching. She wasn't afraid, really. This confrontation had been weeks in the making. She knew the one way to definitely get Naraku to leave Mount Hakurei was to essentially turn herself over to Kagura. He couldn't help himself, even now.

If she was startled by his appearance, she did not show it. Naraku's remolded hanyo form was a combination of repulsive and beautiful. He did not appear nearly as pathetic as he had been when she gave him that large chunk of the Shikon no Tama many months ago, but yet, appearances can be decieving. He didn't appear to even walk any longer. Walking seemed too superflous for him now. She looked into his red demon's eyes, and saw exactly what she expected to see. Kikyo would wait to laugh.

Naraku didn't have his heart in his chest any longer. It had been replaced with an all seeing third eye. However, he knew that if he did still have that heart, it would be pounding right now. Hakushin Shonin-sama's words echoed in his mind: _If you go now, the first person to discover your weakness will be your undoing. All that you have accomplished here will be destroyed!_ He knew, just by looking back into Kikyo's dark eyes, that she knew.

It didn't matter, he told himself. Soon, very soon, he would have all that he had ever wanted. He would take whatever he wished. Nothing could ever be denied to him again, no one could deny you when you have all the power of a god! And, he would deny himself nothing either. To that end, Naraku drew down on Kikyo, who never moved from her place on the wooden floor. "Kikyo. Is it as good for you to see me as it is for me to see you? Surely, you would agree that I've transformed a great deal since you and I last saw eachother, no? But you, not a bit changed since, have you?"

"You don't expect me to believe that the only reason you quarantined yourself at Mount Hakurei all that time was to rebuild a new body, do you? You could have done that with a lot less effort and time than you have taken. And why go to Mount Hakurei? A sacred mountain where those who wish for redemption may seek it and find it? It makes no sense," Kikyo finally said.

"Redemption? Are you possibly referring to that encounter you had with a certain old bandit that begged you to help him find eternal peace? Oh, Kikyo, you fool. Always trying to help one who is in trouble, and needs you. Always putting your safety aside for the sake of the common good, still, after all those years ago, when you nursed me? No, in some ways, you will never change. However," his face turned very nasty, " I know you have changed in one way since I last saw you. When you and I last met, you left me still as untouched and pure as the day you died. But now..." Naraku's eyes flashed in rage, "I find out that you have made yourself into some mercenary's whore!"

Kikyo did not flinch when Naraku's tentacles surrounded her. _"You BITCH!" _Naraku nearly shrieked when he saw what little effect his anger had on her. "Well, it will be no loss then for me to have my fill of you, will it, Slut?" He barely noticed Kikyo's almost triumphant look as his hands reached into her loose blouse and grasped her breasts.

It took him a moment, oddly enough, to realize that something was very wrong. Onigumo's vast experience with women had to come back from being buried under the demonic layers he had surrounded himself with over the course of fifty years. _It's been fifty years since I touched a woman!_ Onigumo realized in that surreal moment. _But surely, Kikyo's flesh should not feel like this...Clammy, cold, like molded mud..._ Naraku angrily pulled her blouse open, fully revealing her breasts.

Now, Kikyo laughed. Naraku shrank back in horror. "Naraku, Onigumo, if you want to violate this body so badly, this fake body that Urasue trapped me in, please, by all means, have your fill!" she taunted. "If you are so desperate to slake your mad desires that you must do so, that is!"

"He...he lied! I can't believe it! _He LIED!"_

Kikyo laughed again. "Are you possibly referring to that scene where Suikotsu told Inuyasha that he found no difference between my flesh and that of any other woman's? He obviously wasn't saying that just for Inuyasha's benefit, was he? You were spying on him! He knew it too. He and his other Shichinintai are rather talented warriors, those people you resurrected to serve you, aren't they?"

"Then, he never touched you?" Naraku asked, in a strangely hopeful voice.

"Oh, he did seduce me, or rather, he reached out to me, and I responded. Part of me was curious. Suikotsu was a gentle, kind, generous doctor, and I'd never hoped to find a man like that to have such an experience with. His mind was in a bit of a fog, too, since he was so close to the sacred barrier. Ironic, because of your barrier, he wasn't repulsed by my fake body," Kikyo sighed. "After that, when I started following him back south, I had told him that there would not be a repeat of what had happened between us. By that time, I think he realized my true nature, so maybe he didn't argue. I feel cheated. I'm certain he must feel so as well."

Naraku could only shake his head in dumb shock. It was as though she were a parody of a female. Did he dare look and see how far this joke went; did he dare to remove her skirt as well? Did he really want to know? Angrily, he growled, "I must know! I must find out!" He reached for those skirts, and began to pull them off Kikyo's hips, when he suddenly heard someone say:

"Get your hands off her, you filthy pig!"

Naraku looked up. He had to blink a few times, just to register what he was seeing. It was Kagome! She had a Sacred Arrow nocked and ready to let it fly right between his eyes. Not only that, but she was stark naked! And next to her was what appeared to be a specter of a squat older man, and his laughs filled the room...


	40. Mukotsu's Turn

Little Sister

Chapter 39: Mukotsu's Turn

_Now, dear readers, just in case you were wondering how Kagome had managed to completely reverse her fortunes in the matter of a few hours, it is here that you must look..._

Naraku drew the dagger away, and Kagome's forearm now had a rather long cut running down. His red eyes gleamed with malicious glee as he drove the dagger into his own hand. "Now, you'll see the extent of my new powers, Kagome-chan!" he told her. Kagome watched in horror as a glob of flesh dropped from his hand onto the hardwood floor. The writhing blob started to form into a human.

"Naraku! What are you doing?" Kagome demanded.

He laughed. "Watch as I devise the means to enslaving your lover to me forever!" Kagome saw that the human form he was growing on the floor was starting to look an awful lot like her! After that thing grew some long black hair, Naraku picked it up by that hair. With his newly reformed body, Naraku had the means to simply slice off the thing's head with a sharp bone that materialized from his forearm.

Kagome shrieked as he plopped the head into a cloth, and the Saimyosho took it into their grasp. "Naraku, have you gone off your mind completely? Bankotsu will only try to kill you after he sees that!"

"Kagome-chan, just let _me_ worry about that. It would seem that the only way to get _you_ to cooperate would be to understand what it truly is that you care about. My Infant, useless though he may seem at the moment, has at least found out one thing; that you will do whatever needs to be done to protect Bankotsu. So, as long as you refuse to help me find the final shard that is unaccounted for, Bankotsu will think you are dead. Now, Kagura, take her away."

So, with that, she was tossed back into the salt cellar, guarded by a few soldiers who had to be very sternly warned not to bother with her, only to watch and make sure no one comes to try and take her away. Kagome had a sinking feeling that one of the reasons Naraku had for delivering evidence of her death to her friends was so that they wouldn't feel the immediate need to come to her rescue. But, there was one thing she could cling to; it was now very obvious that Sesshomaru had been successful and had resurrected the remaining Shichinintai brothers. "Sesshomaru, thank you, thank you for that!" Kagome said aloud with tears in her eyes. She sat alone in the salt cellar, cold and hungry. The gloom fought with the hope she had in her heart, but was threatening to overtake her. After all, an empty stomach tends to make everything seem even worse.

Kagome overheard one of her guards outside laughing. It sounded...bad somehow. There was something bad in the air here. It was as if Naraku's presence had put this aura over the castle. Kagome's heart started to pound, how could she be so stupid? Kikyo was here too! Of course, Naraku was going to do _something_ to her. Her mere presence made him mad with jealous desire over and over again in the past, why would it be any different this time? What if he managed to gain enough strength the kill her this time? _What will happen to me? Would I just dissolve into mist? Would all my friends even know that I had ever existed? _

Just as Kagome was mulling over this grimness, a very strange thing happened. She felt a weird crackle of energy, and then, she saw him. "My lovely Kagome. In another predicament, I see," Mukotsu joked lightly as he perched his squat form on a barrel.

"Mukotsu! What are you doing here?" Kagome gasped.

The Twice-dead poisoner of the Shichinintai giggled lewdly, as he always did when her first saw her. "I couldn't stay away. I tried, you know. I knew you didn't really want me around. And as a matter of fact, for quite a while, you didn't _need_ me around."

At those words, Kagome burst out crying. "I'm sorry!" she wept.

This shocked Mukotsu. _Kagome was sorry that she had shunned him all this time? Why would she be sorry? And really why should she be sorry? He was the one who had to make amends, not her!_ Mukotsu hopped off the barrel and swept down where Kagome lay curled in fetal ball and said to her in a soft voice, "No, _I'm _sorry. I hurt you. You nearly died because of my actions, because of my evil, and I have no real right to bother you any longer."

"Please, Mukotsu, please tell Bankotsu that I'm not dead," Kagome begged him.

"Not dead _yet!_ Kagome, _you_ have to tell Bankotsu yourself that you are not dead. That's why I'm here. To make it all a lie! You are a sweet, beautiful girl, the kind of woman I could only dream, if I even dared, to speak to, let alone to have! I will not let you die here if there is anything I can do to stop it. But Kagome, you must listen to me, you must believe in yourself as much as Bankotsu does. Naraku told you himself how much Bankotsu believes in you! Naraku knows how powerful you really are. So does that priestess, and so does Inuyasha. The only one who has no idea of your power is _you!"_

Kagome sat up, trembling. "Wh..what do you mean? Naraku's been tossing me around like a sack of potatoes for months! He laughs out of me, if anything?"

"Of course he laughs. What could be more hilarious to him than a miko who doesn't even know her own powers? He knows he has the upper hand in this sort of situation. You need to turn this whole thing around. He's not totally invulnerable. Haven't you noticed his cycle?"

"Oh, you mean the hanyo cycle of Naraku? But he said he could go and rebuild his strength when he choses! How are we supposed to time them?" Kagome asked.

"Of course he _chooses_ when to rebuild his strength—but don't you notice it's only after every time Inuyasha comes up with a new technique to counter something he does!" Mukotsu said. Kagome thought about this for a moment. A light bulb seemed to go off in her head. He was right!

"But Mukotsu, doesn't that mean that..." Kagome asked.

"Clever girl you are, yes! It means that he has developed two counters for Inuyasha's barrier-bursting technique, and Kikyo's purifying arrow," Mukotsu told her.

Kagome became terrified. "Oh no! If he can counter Kikyo's arrow, then he certainly counter _anything!_ What will we do?"

"I'm not saying that your arrow won't do some damage, buy you some time. It's only not going to destroy him. Not unless you come up with a counter for his counter," Mukotsu told her.

"Mukotsu! Do you really think we can do that?" Kagome cried.

"Only if you get out of here, and rescue you ancestress, can anything be done at all! Now, do you trust me, completely?" Mukotsu asked her. Kagome just gulped. Mukotsu sighed. "Alright, Kagome, I can understand your reluctance. Maybe if I explained myself a bit further, you might feel more trusting. After all, I'm dead. Twice-dead, yes, but dead all the same. And my secrets, that my dear Big Brother faithfully keeps for me, are really not me any longer.

"I was born this way. Disfigured, but not enough to cripple me, not enough to hasten my death, as many disfigurements do. In a very real way, it was a great curse, my good health, for it enabled me to grow up in a hateful world that shrank from my presence as though I were the vilest of creatures. All my life then, I have been cursed with desires for companionship, friendship, love, from these weak people who surrounded me. My mother was unique, she did not turn her back on me, though there were many times when I thought I would have been better off if she too, had shunned me. Instead, with her manner, she taught me that there might be others in this world who were like her. And one fateful day, I finally met him. Oh, Kyokotsu was right, how can I turn my back on Bankotsu after all he had done for me, after how much he had beleived in me, in my abilities, in my usefulness to the Shichinintai? 'We would not be Seven without you, Mukotsu-aniki,' he would remind me."

Mukotsu glanced at Kagome with his beady, frog-like eyes and then said, "I think you might know where I'm going with this, but I might as well say it anyway. I was cursed with needs, needs that most men are able to satisfy, but that I could not without what I considered the greatest of humiliation!"

For a few moments, Kagome was quiet. Then, she asked, "Mukotsu, in order for me to trust you, you have to be honest with me. Tell me the truth, if Sesshomaru hadn't interrupted, would you have 'consummated the marriage?'"

At first, Mukotsu shook his head. "Of course not!"

Kagome asked, "Really?"

"Of course not; I had a poker sticking out of my neck. That sort of dampened the mood," Mukotsu sighed.

Now Kagome got a little annoyed. "Mukotsu, if I hadn't seen your jewel shard and tried to pry it out of your neck, would you have raped me?" Mukotsu goggled at her blunt question. "Just answer the question!"

"Kagome, I...I don't know if I will give you the answer you want to hear," Mukotsu warned her.

"Never mind what you think I want to hear, just tell me the truth," Kagome warned him back.

"I wanted to have you. I wanted you desperately... Why do you think I feel like I need to make amends now?" he answered her.

"But," Kagome began, but Mukotsu put up his plump hand to cut her off.

"I know! I paralyzed you. I wanted you! I had been executed once, and somehow brought back...but telling you those things may make it seem as though I am making excuses for myself. None of my circumstances were ever your problem, but I was making them your problem, and that was wrong of me! You, as it turns out, are one of those people my mother had taught me to believe do exist after all!

"It's true, my darling Kagome! When I was given the dagger, that winter day in the shadow of Mount Hakurei, in order to take my life, I was thinking to myself, _of all the things I had done, the one thing I had desired to do most in this world was be with a woman, and that had never happened._ I'm not sure if I could have stuck that dagger into my _hara_ had I not been able to think of such a grim thing. When I was doing that, I saw Bankotsu's eyes on me... I thought, _he knows, and he feels grief over my pain._ And then, to find out later that he was denied _hara-kiri!_ So you see, Kagome, there are many reasons I must do this."

After a few moments of silence, Kagome was almost glad that he only almost answered her question. "Fine. What do I need to do?"

Mukotsu brightened up considerably. "I want you to take all your clothes off!"

_**"WHAT??!!"**_ Kagome yelled.

"You don't want Naraku's miasma all over your clothing, Kagome. You will end up poisoned from it. It's like many of the poisons I have used that are absorbed through the skin," Mukotsu told her knowledgably.

Kagome remained highly skeptical. "So instead, you don't want my clothing to possibly protect me from it?"

"Kagome, your power of a miko can protect your _skin_ from absorbing it, but you won't be able to protect your _clothing._ Kagome, you must trust me on this, if I were to do what I'm about to tell you to do, I'd go naked too! Although, if I went naked, I probably wouldn't need the miasma as a shield, I'd probably scare everyone off," he joked.

_Use the miasma as a sheild?_ "But, Mukotsu, how am I supposed to get ahold of Naraku's miasma?" Kagome demanded.

"Clothes off first!" he warned her.

"Aagggghhhh! Fine, turn around!" she demanded.

"Like hell I will!" Mukotsu grinned. "Besides, it's not like I haven't see that lovely bottom of yours before, or those lush, fine breasts..."

"Will you _**KNOCK IT OFF?"**_ Kagome yelled, feeling her heart pound and her skin flame with embarrassment. But in spite of that, she started taking her shoes and socks off.

"Good, good. Now, once you do that, you will be able to use your spiritual powers to collect the thin layer of Naraku's miasma out of the air that surrounds this castle. With that miasma collected, you will then be able to form a cloak of it around yourself, which will sheild you from all the guards until you can find Kikyo and rescue her," he outlined for her. Then, his smile widened even more. "Ah, how beautiful indeed!"

Kagome crossed her arms over her breasts and sat in such a way as to hide any other parts he might find interesting. "How am I supposed to do this?"

"Kagome, in life, I had a power that I was not resurrected with when Naraku gave us the Jewel Shards. I was able to move things with only mind power."

Kagome gasped, "You mean, telekinesis?"

"Is that what you call it five hundred years in the future? Well, anyway, I mainly used this ability to guide my poisonous mists more effectively than merely dumping it like I had done prior to our services to the Yokai Empress. It's actually very easy, and I beleive it is something that I can teach you in five minutes. If you have the ability to use your powers to purify an arrow's shaft, then you can certainly do this. Are you ready?"

"Uh, okay. Where's the miasma?" Kagome asked.

"You mean you haven't felt it? I find that hard to beleive!" Mukotsu reprimanded her.

"Oh, you mean it's that feeling in the air? But I can usually see it!" Kagome complained.

"Once it's more concentrated, like when Naraku releases it, you will be able to see it. Now, draw it to you, and contain it into a cloud. Very very easy..." Mukotsu coached her. Kagome clung to that reassurance as she reached out for that sense. She found it was all over the place! Like Mukotsu said it was, thinly spread around the area, and like he had told her, very easy to draw into the salt cellar. Soon, she had a cloud about the size of her body.

"Excellent, Kagome! Now, you have enough to form a shield of Naraku's miasma to protect you from anyone trying to catch you. Are you ready? Remember, you are a miko, and your skin will not be affected by the miasma as long as you walk inside the cloud while recalling that you have that purifying power," Mukotsu instructed her.

"Oh, this isn't so bad! I thought I'd have to walk around naked the whole time! This is much better!" Kagome declared. "Now, let's get out of here!"

"Fine, just get one of the guards to open the door," Mukotsu told her.

"Well, they're not going to just open it," Kagome reminded him.

"Even through that deep blue mist, the details of your nudity tantalize me to near madness!" Mukotsu declared.

"Hentai!" Kagome gasped.

"What's that? Your perky nipples are distracting me," Mukotsu told her.

"HENTAI!" Kagome yelled.

"Not loud enough to block out the thought of running my hands up and down that feminine physique and feel that cute ass," Mukotsu leered.

_**"HENTAI!!!"**_ Kagome screamed.

The doors flew open, and the three men guarding it gaped. "And, the door opens!" Mukotsu said with a flourish. Of course, the guards couldn't see him, but they could see Kagome's naked form through the diaphanous cloud of mist.

"Back off, or you're going to get it," Kagome warned them as she attempted to walk past. One guard managed to grab her arm, but fell down dead half a second later.

"Just keep moving. If you let down the cloud, you will die, Kagome. Better them dying than you!" Mukotsu warned her very urgently. Now frightened nearly to death herself, all she could do is remind herself that she was not to be touched by these men. They were soldiers, and they would not hesitate to assault her if they were able. As it was, scores of men had already tried to approach her. Each one died within a second or two of coming into contact with the miasma around her.

Once they rounded a corner, they could see the inner gates to the castle itself. The guards here had seen her. "Just keep going, but pick up that bow and arrows there before you get to the gates." Silently, Kagome grabbed the bow and the quiver of arrows left by a dead soldier. "Don't look back Kagome. Better them than you, remember that!" Mukotsu reminded her. Another soldier approached and fell dead behind her. "Just so you know, I like to call this the 'Touch of Death,'" he added with a bit of gallows humor.

"This is awful!" Kagome said in a whisper. "Why don't they just leave me alone so they can live?"

"Perhaps, my darling Kagome, the chance to touch you might just be worth dying for," Mukotsu suggested.

"Yeah, sure!" Kagome said with half a sob.

"Kagome! Remember Bankotsu. Remember to stay alive so he can see you again. Imagine how it will be for him, to see you, alive and well, after thinking you have been slain! Imagine how happy you will make him when he sees your beautiful face again!" Mukotsu told her.

"Oh, I'm imagining it! But if I keep doing that, I won't be able to concentrate! I have to save Kikyo! Guard, open the gates or you're going to die too!" Kagome yelled at him.

The guard pointed his spear at her. "Get away Witch!" he growled.

"Kagome, don't let him impale you," Mukotsu gasped.

Kagome nocked her arrow. "Let me pass!" she told him again.

"Fool! I'll kill you faster than you can kill me, even if you were able to hold that bow properly!" he scoffed, raising his spear.

"Take the miasma, and send some at him, into his nostrils!" Mukotsu told her.

"Huh?" she gasped.

"Just flick it at him! Hurry!" Mukotsu urged.

Kagome lowered the bow and arrow and brushed some miasma away from her. The guard, despite his head-to-toe armor, could not block the noxious poison. He staggered and dropped dead. She cried out, but held the miasma as close to her as she dared.

"You stupid wench! What are you doing?" she heard Kagura from above. The wind sorceress wore a furious face, sitting in her feather over Kagome's and Mukotsu's heads. _"Fuujin no Mai!"_ Dozens of tiny arcs of energy were hurled at them.

"Kagome! Watch out!" Mukotsu yelled, and Kagome only just managed to dodge them. The miasma cloud around her faded in her fear and haste. There was one good thing though; the Wind Blades blew open the main doors. "Kagome?" Mukotsu asked her.

"Let's go!" Kagome yelled at him. He drifted in through the blasted open doors after her.

"What's our hurry, if I may ask, my lovely Kagome?" Mukotsu asked.

"Kagura has a lot of dead bodies out there to play with, and Naraku's miasma isn't going to do much good against them. I have a bad feeling that Kikyo is with Naraku. Otherwise, he would have been outside already," Kagome explained as she dashed up to the second floor of the sprawling fuedal manor.

"You mean she can control dead people?" Mukotsu gasped in sudden dread.

"She can't affect you, she can only manipulate cadavers… Now, let me concentrate. The Shikon no Tama piece that Naraku has is large, and so it diffuses a little bit…I'm not used to tracking this concentration of power from the jewel… _**HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!!"**_ Kagome yelled.

Mukotsu had crawled between Kagome's legs. "I'm going to hide from this Kagura here." He looked up and grinned even though Kagome was glaring back down at him like she'd kill him again if he hadn't already been dead.

_**"HENTAI!"**_ Kagome raged.

"You know, if you keep yelling, Naraku is bound to notice, especially since you keep yelling about hentai! He'll probably think you're calling for him," Mukotsu joked.

But suddenly, Kagome's stomach turned cold. "You're right! Naraku is a sick womanizer, and here I am parading around naked, which is _your_ hentai idea!"

"Kagome, in all seriousness, I would never lead you into a situation that you could not get out of. You have one element on your side, surprise, and the longer you wait, the more the element fades!" Mukotsu warned her.

Kagome gulped, then nodded and kept going toward the Shikon Jewel. Soon, she found a room with the usual sliding doors, but the sounds coming from the room told her that she had found her target.

"Naraku, Onigumo, if you want to violate this body so badly, this fake body that Urasue trapped me in, please, by all means, have your fill! If you are so desperate to slake your mad desires that you must do so, that is!" Kagome heard Kikyo say.

Then, she heard Naraku's strangled response. "He...he lied! I can't believe it! _He LIED!"_ Then Kikyo laughed and said "Are you possibly referring to that scene where Suikotsu told Inuyasha that he found no difference between my flesh and that of any other woman's? He obviously wasn't saying just for Inuyasha's benefit, was he? You were spying on him! He knew it too. He and his other Shichinintai are rather talented warriors, those people you resurrected to serve you, aren't they?"

"Then, he never touched you?" Naraku asked after that.

"Oh, he did seduce me, or rather, he reached out to me, and I responded. Part of me was curious. Suikotsu was a gentle, kind, generous doctor, and I'd never hoped to find a man like that to have such an experience with. His mind was in a bit of a fog, too, since he was so close to the sacred barrier. Ironic, because of your barrier, he wasn't repulsed by my fake body," Kikyo sighed. "After that, when I started following him back south, I had told him that there would not be a repeat of what had happened between us. By that time, I think he realized my true nature, so maybe he didn't argue. I feel cheated. I'm certain he must feel so as well." Kagome gasped. She had been very conflicted about that whole scene with Suikotsu. Oh, how can what her grandfather shown her be true? It isn't possible for Kikyo _or_ Suikotsu to be her ture ancestors, could it?

"Oh, my goodness! Suikotsu _did_ something like that?" Mukotsu gasped in disbelief.

"I have to try anyway. She's Kikyo, she didn't deserve what happened to her, even though some people think she did," Kagome sniffled.

"And, if there is even a chance that your family scrolls are really correct, and that she is your ancestor, you must save her. You are here, that's proof that it all worked out somehow, isn't it?" Mukotsu encouraged her.

"Stay with me?" Kagome asked of him.

"There is nowhere I would rather be than beside you, my lovely Kagome!" Mukotsu declared.

"Alright, here goes…" Kagome said just as she heard Naraku ramble, _"I must know! I must find out!"_

"Get your hands off her, you filthy pig!" Kagome yelled as she banged the door wide open and pointed her purifying arrow straight at Naraku's shocked face. Mukotsu's laugh at Naraku's predicament, his position, filled the air.

* * *

_And so, right back to where we left off. But don't worry, we move forward next chapter._


	41. To Light a Candle

_Note: Sorry this took so long to update. I'm wrestling with a MAJOR plot bunny, and a plot hole that I think I've plugged up. So enjoy!_

Little Sister

Chapter 40: To Light a Candle

Naraku could not actually remember the last time he had been truly speechless. His red eyes darted from Kikyo, a parody of a human woman, to Kagome, her flesh-and-blood reincarnation, who was _amply_ equipped. He wanted to howl with the unfairness of it! Finally, words came to him, and he spoke them. "Well, now I know what Bankotsu sees in you!"

Kagome snorted, "Yeah, sure! Flattery will get you nowhere, Naraku!" And, shockingly, she released the arrow she had pulled back. From that close range, she had no chance of missing it. Naraku backed away with an arrow in his shoulder armor, smoking from it's purification properties. Kagome grabbed Kikyo by the arm and pulled her toward the sliding doors. Ignoring the arrow burning in his shoulder, instead Naraku paid attention to that odd little creature beside Kagome. It, he, was laughing madly, _laughing at him! _

This enraged Naraku. "How dare you interfere with me, you toad!" the Spider Ogre spat, transforming his hand, shooting his elongated fingers out, trying to impale the stranger. To his rage, Naraku found this only amused the creature more, as he laughed even louder once Naraku's fingers pierced the air that would have been his rounded stomach. _"What? What are you?" _Naraku demanded.

"I am Twice-dead, fool, and you cannot reach me!" he answered. "I was Mukotsu of the Shichinintai, before I was struck down once again. Now, I am Mukotsu the Twice-dead!" With a flourish, Mukotsu created the illusion of red smoke flooding the room. Kagome and Kikyo used the two seconds of time Mukotsu had bought them to race out of the room.

Behind them, they could hear Naraku hiss with rage. Kagome was frightened out of her mind by now; Naraku was really pissed off! "Here! Let's hide in here!" Kagome cried, pulling Kikyo into another room. Mukotsu zipped in as well, and Kagome banged the doors shut.

"Kagome, seal the room off with an arrow! Hurry!" Kikyo told her.

Kagome shot her final arrow between the two doors where they closed. The doors shuddered with the force of a blow from the other side. Kagome screamed and scurried over to Kikyo's side. "Don't worry, Naraku will not be able to break the doors down," Kikyo assured Kagome. "Your seal on the doors will purify him if he attempts to open them."

"Yes, but there is one problem, my dearest. It seals me in here too!" Mukotsu reminded her.

"Oh, well, I'll just let you out when Naraku leaves here."

"Well, when do you think that will be?" Mukotsu asked. Naraku threw more force into his next blow, and under normal circumstances, the doors would have busted open long ago.

Kagome hugged herself and then buried her face in her arms. "We're going to die here, aren't we?"

"Kagome, he will not destroy you if I have anything to say about it!" Mukotsu declared.

"Naraku won't kill you if he has any choice," Kikyo told her. "After all, he cannot use me to get the last shard."

"But the only way we'll get out of here is if someone comes to rescue us now!" Kagome sobbed.

"There will be very little chance of that, Kagome-chan! As you know, I've seen to that. And if by some chance they decide to attack anyway, I have a very clever little trap set for whoever might spring it? Might it be your Bankotsu, Kagome? Or perhaps, Inuyasha? Or, if I am truly fortunate, I might ensnare that _Suikotsu!_ I have a special plan for each one of them, should they be so foolish as to try and rescue you!" Naraku taunted them.

"My brothers are not as foolish as you might think, Naraku-sama! We were nearly invincible in life, and now that they have been restored, you will see first hand why we were so feared and yet in such high demand!" Mukotsu warned.

"Aren't there only five of you left? Not as invincible as you might lead me to believe, are you? You cannot even get past the barrier that Kagome has put on the door!" Naraku said in a sneering voice.

Mukotsu only laughed. "There is one more of us that you have not ensnared, Naraku-sama! And he will be able to help the others see through your tricks. He might even show you a thing or two about energy barriers, that is, if you're even alive long enough to learn anything," Mukotsu taunted right back.

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked.

"Well, you see, I am not the only Twice-dead Shichinintai, my dear wife. There is Kyokotsu."

Kagome thought about this a moment. "Oh...you mean the one who had eaten all those demons in the northern mountains, bringing ruin to the Wolf Demon tribes up there? Hey, I've never seen him before!"

"Well, you just might soon. Though he's shy around women, when he's not eating them, that is. For once, maybe the prospect of having _that boy_ around isn't so bad. Don't worry, he'll come through for us!" Mukotsu assured her.

Kagome was about to ask yet one more time what Mukotsu meant by referring to Hojo as _that boy, _but instead Kikyo asked, "You say you are a Twice-dead? Would this have happened to Suikotsu if he had been killed before going with Sesshomaru?"

"If it happened to Kyokotsu and to me, then yes, I believe it would have happened to him too," Mukotsu said.

"Is that what will happen to me, I wonder?" Kikyo asked.

Kagome gasped, "Kikyo, don't talk like that! What about me? If you die again..."

"My dear wife, it will be alright. You both are here right now, and you share the same soul, don't you?" Mukotsu frowned.

"It is only possible for us both to exist at the same time because our soul has been split apart by Urusue, the Demon Witch who created my clay body. Incidentally, let me give you this, Kagome, as you need it more than I do," Kikyo said sadly as she took off her haori and put it on Kagome's shoulders. Mukotsu was a bit shocked by Kikyo's appearance, but managed to keep it quiet. Still, Kikyo glanced at the Twice-dead spirit. "Now you realize how perfect Kagome's timing really was, don't you? But she should not have bothered. It is my existence that keeps her from being a whole person."

"No, my darling wife Kagome insisted that we be able to rescue you," Mukotsu declared.

"Wait a minute! Did that specter just call you his _wife?" _Naraku sneered from behind the door.

"Yeah, things happened while you were on your little _staycation_ in Mount Hakurei, Naraku!" Kagome shot back.

"There is nothing to save! I am, for all intents and purposes, a mistake!" Kikyo sighed. "I was only created by Urusue to help her find jewel shards, a completely useless endeavor. Had I not destroyed her, Naraku surely would have." Kikyo nearly laughed at that thought.

Mukotsu began to look doubtful. "Kagome, perhaps she's right. I mean, what we figured out. It's just _not possible,"_ he said to Kagome in a meaningful tone.

"Yes, it's possible, it has to be! There's no other way. I wouldn't _be here if it wasn't possible!"_ Kagome argued with a sob.

"What's going on in there? I can't hear everything you are saying, but I can hear your fear. Are you scared, Kagome-chan?" Naraku sneered behind the door. "Let me in, and you will find out that what you fear is pointless."

"You don't know what you're talking about!" Kagome yelled back.

"Don't I?" Naraku nearly laughed.

"I...I have to ignore him." Kagome wiped her tears off her cheeks and grabbed Kikyo's shoulders. It was true, Kikyo's "flesh" felt odd, and surely that meant that her body really wasn't anything more than an animated doll's body. _"Suikotsu, why would you make me do this for no reason?" _she whispered.

"Kagome, what did Suikotsu tell you to do?" Kikyo asked with a touch of alarm in her voice.

"He...he knows what happened to us," Kagome told her. "He thought I could fix it."

"Fix what?" both Mukotsu and Kikyo asked.

"He said, _'A candle does not lose light by lighting another candle.' _I think I know what it means. I was scared at first, when I heard it."

"That is a strong Buddhist belief, Kagome. I never realized that Suikotsu was so religious!" Kikyo commented.

"That's utter nonsense! The Suikotsu I know hates monks, hates priests, and thinks religion is useful only to frighten people into thinking they would go to hell!" Mukotsu reported with a giggle.

Naraku laughed as well. "Once I have the Shikon Jewel completely in my grasp, the only god in this world will be me! Then, I will take Kikyo as mine!"

_I have to concentrate! Never mind Naraku's words, they only serve to distract me!_ Kagome took a deep breath and looked into Kikyo's eyes. "You are you, and I'm me, but we both have the same soul. If there's one thing I've learned since coming to these times, it's that time is not a straight line, it's a circle, and it keeps turning, over and over. We have always existed apart from eachother, if we erase time," Kagome said.

"Kagome? What is really going on here? What are you trying to accomplish?" Kikyo asked her.

"Something that might be impossible, but I have to do it anyway...I have to give you our soul back, and I have to get that part of our soul that I'm missing!" Kagome told her.

"Yes, Kagome, you should take that part Urusue stole from you," Kikyo agreed. "Here, let me give it to you..." At once, a small white light appeared before them. It was just like the souls Kikyo's Soul Collectors would float around with! Was that _their soul?_ Kagome immediately grasped it, and it seeped into her chest. Kikyo began to falter, but Kagome already knew what she needed to do. The white light reappeared, only this time, it was stronger, brighter, almost unbearable to even look at.

_"What are you doing in there?" _Naraku demanded to know. The arrow in the door began to smolder, but Kagome didn't dare turn her eyes from the soul energy in front of her. This was their soul, Kikyo's, hers, and countless other incarnations over the centuries, and she was not going to let Naraku destroy her! How amazing that she felt nothing lacking, even though her soul was being split, or was it? No. It was the flame of the candle...and it was lighting another candle, losing no light as it did so. Kikyo was the lit candle now. She sprung up, and Kagome watched the soul light settle into Kikyo's chest.

"You did it! Kagome! Is that what I really am too? It is! So, why am I still here like this?" Mukotsu gasped.

"Because you're a Twice-dead, that's why. You just told everyone that. So you keep your identity, even though you're dead. Don't you think you ought to try and shed your identity, like my mom said you should?" Kagome asked a bit tiredly.

"I can't just yet, my dear wife. I only have a little left to go before I might be able to reincarnate. I still have to help you survive. That's just how it is. But at least, now I know what is coming. It's...peaceful, somehow." Mukotsu glanced at Kikyo, who seemed more miserable by the second. "What's wrong?"

"I'm...trapped in this body! What am I going to do? I won't need Soul Collectors anymore, since I have my own soul back, so that makes my existence a little more bearable, a little more justifiable. But, I'm not _real!"_ Kikyo said brokenly. Kagome realized this was the first time she'd ever seen Kikyo show an emotion besides anger. Kagome embraced Kikyo, who seemed like she wanted to cry, but couldn't.

"Open this door, and I shall free you both forever," Naraku laughed. Suddenly, the air around them pulsed. Naraku was about to reach for the doors to slide them open, but then stopped his hand. He forgot what he was going to do.

The air pulsed...

* * *

"Alright now, Inuyasha! Let's keep trying to find them," Suikotsu said.

"I'll keep tracking Kagome's scent, but maybe we ought to follow this trail of bodies to see where they lead," Inuyasha suggested.

"Sounds like a good idea. It is possible that they will lead to Kagome. She might not be Naraku's captive anymore. She might have gone to try and rescue Kikyo on her own."

"Grr, I wish she hadn't done that!" Inuyasha groused.

"Are you worried about them?" Suikotsu asked.

"Aren't you?" Inuyasha bit back.

"You two should only be worried about yourselves!" Kagura said as she emerged from a busted down doorway of the main manor house. "Kagome and Kikyo are with Naraku-sama right as we speak, and there's no way you can save either of them now."

"Let us pass, or die!" Suikotsu exclaimed.

Kagure snickered, "Speaking of dead, let me leave you two something to play with..._Shikabane Mai!"_ With one wave of her fan, all those dead bodies leading to the manor house began to rise to fight once again.

Suikotsu flashed his blades. "Fine by me! I get to kill them again!" he laughed.

"Let me handle this: _Kaze no Kizu!"_ Inuyasha bellowed, bringing Tetsusaiga down. Kagura took off very quickly in her feather, but the Wind Scar attack disrupted her Dance of the Dead, so the dead bodies fell back down.

"Nice try, Inuyasha, but not enough. _Shikabane Mai!"_ Kagura repeated. The dead bodies responded, crawling toward Inuyasha and Suikotsu. The two frenemies stood back to back, surrounded by corpses staggering toward them.

"Be careful, Inuyasha, there's probably something more to this than just the dead bodies," Suikotsu warned.

"You mean the trap? Didn't we already spring it?" Inuyasha pointed out.

Suikotsu started slashing with his claws. "That remains to be seen. Damn! They don't back down!"

"You're right! Let's move!" Inuyasha yelled, cutting some dead soldiers with his Tetsusaiga. Since they were already dead, and he was, in effect, protecting a human, the blade sang as it moved. After fighting this way for a few moments, Suikotsu and Inuyasha seemed to be making some progress. The dead bodies didn't seem to persue them as much, and then, not at all. Soon, every soldier that was left animated formed a sort of circle about 20 feet in diameter.

"Come on, you cowards! Afraid of death again?" Suikotsu growled.

"Stand back, and let me do my thing: _Kaze no Kizu!"_ Inuyasha unleashed the Wind Scar once again, thinking to blast a path to the manor house.

But it became immediately apparent that something was terribly wrong! The Wind Scar rebounded, heading straight for the human and hanyo! "Inuyasha!" Suikotsu yelled, knocking him down as the energy sailed right at him, then right past him. But it wasn't done! It bounced back again, never even hitting the dead soldiers that surrounded them. _"We're stuck inside a barrier!"_ Suikotsu gasped as the Wind Scar kept riccocheting around and around them. Kagura's laughter was the last thing either of them could hear besides their own pounding hearts...

_Note: Uh, oh! What's going to happen? How will Inuyasha and Suikotsu survive this one? Or will they? Stay tuned!_


	42. The Prayers of a Hanyo

Little Sister

Chapter 41: The Prayers of a Hanyo

_Do the god of humans listen to the prayers of demons?_

_Do the gods of demons listen to the prayers of humans?_

_Do they both listen to the prayers of a Hanyo?_

_Or do neither of them?_

Inuyasha stared up into the starry sky, lying flat on his back, and it seemed as though the earth under his body was cradling him in her arms. If the barrier Naraku put around them was filtering his view of the sky, he could not tell. In all his two hundred years on this earth, he had never been so close to death. He was only alive right now because that human man he despised had saved him. And in the process, he was most likely killed.

_Don't worry about Suikotsu, he's one of the toughest sons of bitches I've ever known!_

_Oh, really, Bankotsu? You'd better be right about that!_ Inuyasha's tortured mind tried to race, but it was too clogged. "Why? Why did I have to do that? I'm such a _baka!"_ he muttered aloud. Unleashing his _Kaze no Kizu_ attack while trapped inside a barrier had to be the most dangerous, deadly thing he had ever done! Of all people to be trapped inside the barrier with him was Suikotsu, who he very strongly suspected was one of Kagome's direct ancestors. How could he have not been more careful? "Oh, Kagome, please, please forgive me!" Inuyasha yelled in anguish.

He hated Suikotsu. Truly hated him. Why shouldn't he? He was taking his Kikyo, yes, _his Kikyo!_ Inuyasha didn't know how he was supposed to be able to accept this. That miserable madman, _he_ was supposed to take _his Kikyo_ as a wife? Father _his Kikyo's_ children? It was impossible! "It has to be impossible! Please, whoever will listen, whoever will heed a word I have to say, you must show me, you must make me understand how this cruel truth can be so?"

Inuyasha closed his eyes, letting the prayer sink into his bones. Had it not been for Naraku's emergence, his insane lust and jealousy, and Inuyasha's insecurity about his own humanity, and Kikyo's natural distrust of demons, _he_ would have been her husband, her lover, the father of her babies! He would have given up all his demon powers for her. And she would have given up the Shikon Jewel for him. But Onigumo destroyed all that when he let demons consume his flesh and soul, so that he could be able bodied again, so that he could take Kikyo for his own. In his fury, he destroyed that which he had desired most in this world, and had set this cursed story in motion. In the process, he had ripped Inuyasha's heart out, making him think Kikyo had betrayed him.

_Oh, Kikyo, you never would have done that to me had he not hurt you! I know this, I forgive you! Please, know that I forgive you!_

But she had never known this. She had died from her injuries that terrible day, but then brought back through a strange chain of events. Impossible circumstances, yet it happened! Inuyasha could not argue his way out of it, out of the facts. It's impossible, yet it happened. It had to have. He turned his head, finally daring to look beside him. A few feet away, he saw a man's hand out of the corner of his eye. It had been wearing one of those horrible sets of claws, but it got knocked off fromt he blow he must have taken from the Wind Scar. Inuyasha held his own breath, tried to listen, and he heard a ragged, desperate breath. About thirty seconds passed, and then another struggling breath came from that direction. Inuyasha knew what those breaths were, he could read the definition in Kagome's first aid book she'd brought with her on one of her trips to his times... _Agonal breathing: those last few breaths a human body makes because the brain has not processed the fact that the heart has already stopped._ Oh, no!

_Suikotsu is dead!_

**The air around Inuyasha pulsed. **He felt a piercing pain in his chest, cutting through his heart. It was just like the pain he had felt when Kikyo pinned him to the tree with her arrow. He saw the stars starting to fade...

The group of warriors that had gathered near the perimeter of the daimyo's fortress had seen a strange flashing of light. "Is that what I think it is?" Bankotsu demanded from Miroku.

"Yes, that looks like Inuyasha's _kaze no kizu!"_ Miroku confirmed. "But..something's wrong! The power, it's not going anywhere! What happened?"

"Let me see!" Bankotsu took off in the air to get a better vnatage point, but very soon found that he was falling. **The air pulsed, **and his neck was sharply painful. After Bankotsu crashed into the ground, he reached for his neck, and when his hand drew away, he saw blood.

**The air pulsed. **Miroku grasped his right hand with his left, and a look of utter despair and desperation crossed his face. A black glow emitted from under the beads he used to close the _Kazaana_. He looked for Sango, his beloved Sango. She dashed for him as fast as she could, but she had blood coming from her mouth. **The air pulsed, **and she reached behind her, trying to grasp the phantom weapon that her brother had buried in her back months ago, but of course could not reach it. The black light grew, as **the air pulsed.**

**The air pulsed. **Toshiro watched in horror as Jakotsu dropped to his knees and screamed in pain. Blood leaked out over his lap from the slice he had endured with _hara-kiri, _and even though Toshiro felt himself starting to fade, he reached for Jakotsu, whose neck had another slash across it, from when he was beheaded. The screams of pain from the other Shichinintai filled the air, as they all experienced the same as their brother...

**The air pulsed. **Little Shippo was even feeling the effects. It was as if he could see them, the Thunder Brothers, pale and ghostlike but materializing quickly, and his skin started to burn...

**The air pulsed. **Inside their purified sanctum, Kikyo and Kagome began to wail in terror, as Kikyo's hands began to turn into soil and ash, and Kagome began to dissolve. Mukotsu reached for them, but he was beyond them, even with the change taking place.

**The air pulsed. **Naraku, on the other side of the door, felt his tentacles drop off his body, one by one. In alarm, he reached for his large fragment of...something, what was it he was searching for? How odd. What was he doing there? His newly recreated armor shriveled up around his feet, and he had no idea where his white baboon mantle was. Wasn't he going to look for the Shikon no Tama? Oh, yes, that's right, but Kikyo had died, and took it with her. It would not reappear in this world again. Naraku wondered mildly what he had been reaching for, before he started wondering how all this armor got on him. He heard screams from behind a door, but ignored them as he walked slowly away.

**The air pulsed. **Inuyasha knew he had to act. He'd gotten his answer. It must be. Therefore, he must make it happen somehow. The pain in his heart became a nearly unbearable fire in his chest, and he leaned into the earth, only to feel the bark of the God Tree against his back. _No, I must keep going!_ He pried himself up and as he sat up he looked wildly for Suikotsu. He was only mere feet away, yet Inuyasha's crawl to his side seemed to be a journey of a thousand miles. The human was stubbornly trying to cling to the life that had been only very recently given back to him. Inuyasha could hear Suikotsu's heart beating, _thump, thump.... thumthumthumthumthumthum ......thump, thump._ And then, he would take another agonal breath. By the time Inuyasha reached him, he was sure Suikotsu would have taken his last breath. What was going on? He'd never seen such a reaction to someone being hit with the _Kaze no Kizu_ before. Usually destruction was virtually instant. There was never this lag time, never this sort of suffering! The pain in his own chest burned with the purifying energy of Kikyo's spell, which reached across time and space to pierce him, inside a barrier, with his hated rival laying before him in death throes, yet fading, into trees, into nothing...

_Turn me over!_

Had Inuyasha heard Suikotsu speak? Surely not! But his dog's ears sharpened, and the pain in his chest seemed to ripple as he listened.

_Turn me over!_

Immediately, Inuyasha summoned every last bit of his strength and turned Suikotsu's body over so his face met the dirt. Almost as instantly, Inuyasha felt the earth under his feet vibrate and rumble. Very soon, the bright light of the _Kaze no Kizu_ glowed under Suikotsu's skin, but the human was still able to prop himself onto all fours, and _send the power of the attack into the ground!_ Stunned, Inuyasha merely shrunk back slightly as Suikotsu drove the energy out of his body, and once the glow was gone, Suikotsu dropped back onto the ground in exhaustion. Inuyasha thought he could hear him mumble _"The good earth,"_ but it was so very soft, and the air was humming so loudly, that maybe he was mistaken.

The pain in Inuyasha's chest was completely gone. Daring to reach for that very place on his chest, Inuyasha felt the spot on his haori, the robe of the Fire Rat, and nothing was there. _I had never thanked Kagome for taking the arrow out of my chest!_ The mere thought popping into his head started a reaction that Inuyasha was heartily glad no one else was here to see, recalling the hell he'd cought the last time anyone saw him shed tears.

Inuyasha heard Suikotsu stir beside him, so he quickly dashed his tears away, and dared to look at the human. Inuyasha gulped. _How could I have never seen the...resemblence? I've seen that look before! I'm about to get my sorry ass _Sat _clear through to the center of the Earth now! Hey wait, _Suikotsu _can't _Sit _me! So I'm safe...NOT!_ Inuyasha felt Suikotsu's vice-grip on his ear, and he nearly howled with the pain. "I feel like an old pile of shit that has been sitting outside in the sun for weeks, thanks for _ASKING!"_

Inuyasha yelped, "I'm _SORRY!"_

_"Baka!"_ Suikotsu spat. "Keep that sword of yours in it's sheath from now on, and if I see it out again, I'll twist your ear clean off your head! Because maybe you want to die today, _BUT I DON'T REALLY FUCKING FEEL LIKE IT!"_

"No! I promise I'll put it away, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Inuyasha stammered. Suikotsu huffed as he released Inuyasha's ear. _I'd much rather be _Sat_ a hundred times than go through that again!_ Suikotsu turned away and seemed to deflate. He sat on the ground with his head in his hands as though he had a headache. "I...I guess we sprung the trap, didn't we?" Inuyasha ventured.

"Heh, it would appear so. Just, give me a minute, and then we'll get out of here," Suikotsu said while taking some deep breaths.

"Are you alright?" Inuyasha asked.

"Oh, I will be in a minute," Suikotsu said with a dismissive wave. "I'm hungry. I haven't eaten since I was brought back to life this morning, or was it last night? Well, anyway, being hungry makes me damn cranky!"

"So, if I take my sword out to break the barrier, you won't twist my ear off after all?" Inuyasha asked him.

_"WHAT DID I TELL YOU?"_ Suikotsu yelled. Inuyasha put Tetsusaiga back so fast that the sheath nearly shattered. "I said we'll get out of here in a minute. I just had to hold onto _your_ power just so you wouldn't get yourself killed by it, at least give me a minute before I have to get us out of here!"

"No, you're right, I'm sorry..." Inuyasha stammered yet again, making his voice, and himself it seemed, as tiny as possible. "H..How did you _catch_ the _Kaze no Kizu_ and hold onto it?"

"I'll explain it some other time. Help me stand up, and we'll get out of here," Suikotsu told him. Inuyasha picked him up under the arm without a word. Was it his imagination, or did it seem like someone was pulling a bit of his power out of his body? By the time Suikotsu was standing, the sensation went away. Then, the human started shaking excess power off his body, like he was dashing drops of water off himself. Tiny sparks fell to the ground, and Inuyasha realized what Suikotsu had done. _He borrowed my power to be able to stand!_ "Thank you." Suikotsu said crisply as he took a few steps forward, and raised his hand up again, just like he had done a little while ago.

"Do you need anything else?" Inuyasha asked him hurriedly.

"No, I'll be alright now. Ah, here it is..." Suikotsu said. He grinned as his hand pressed against the barrier that Naraku had created to trap anyone who would try to rescue Kagome and Kikyo. Suikotsu winced as he drew Naraku's power from the barrier to _form a hole in it!_ Inuyasha struggled to contain a gasp as the hole grew bigger. "Alright, hanyos first! Let's go, Inuyasha!"

In amazement, Inuyasha slipped through the hole, and Suikotsu followed right after. Of course, the dead soldier corpses were still on guard, and they sprung back to life. Suikotsu gave a wicked grin and glowed with Naraku's malevolent powers. "Now, die forever!" he growled, and released the power from the barrier in the form of fire. The corpses nearby began to burn rapidly. "Come on, this way!" Inuyasha said, grabbing Suikotsu and protecting him from the flames by leading the way to the castle's great doors, which had been blasted open before. He could smell Kagome and Kikyo's scents! "They're here! This way, up the stairs!"

"Can you smell Naraku?" Suikotsu asked. Inuyasha didn't think he was asking because he wanted to _avoid_ Naraku, but because he wanted to _confront _him.

"He's nearby, but not here! Let's hurry!" Inuyasha answered.

"What about the ladies? Can you smell them?" Suikotsu asked. Inuyasha already had caught Kagome's scent again. It was a little easier to smell her than usual. Probably because she...had no clothes on. Suddenly, he was very worried about her. He pointed up the stairs wordlessly.

The room was dark. Kikyo had stopped falling apart, thankfully. There wasn't even any dust on the floor. "Mukotsu, what was that? What did Naraku do?" Kagome squeaked.

"He didn't do it. Even he doesn't have enough power to cause what was happening. It's a circumstance almost as rare as a Twice-dead. It was a Karmic shift! Something _almost_ happened that would have changed the course of time itself. That's all the information I have about it now. Maybe once we get out of here, I can find out more about it...uh oh! The arrow!" Mukotsu pointed. The arrow began to glow red, so the room became a little more illuminated. Kagome saw Kikyo focusing on the arrow.

"Is he trying to get in?" Kagome gasped, then started focusing on the arrow too, to help Kikyo out. With them both purifying the arrow, it began to smoke. But then, the glow began to dim.

"What is this?" Kikyo asked in a panic. "The purifying power is being consumed!"

"How is that possible? Naraku would have to be dead by now from that energy!" Mukotsu said in amazement.

"One last time, Kagome! One, two, THREE!" Kikyo cried, and simultaneously, they both focused everything they had at the arrow. Mukotsu shook his head in disbelief as the door started growing a red hole into it in spite of their efforts.

Kagome broke off, screamed, and soon, she and Kikyo were embraced with tears of fright streaming down her face. Blades slashed the screens, and Mukotsu yelled, "AH!" Within seconds, those claws ripped open the doors at last...

_Note: Are they rescued? What is Inuyasha going to do now? And when Bankotsu confronts Naraku, as he surely will, what will happen to him? Keep reading!_


	43. A Believer

Little Sister

Chapter 42: A Believer

_Note: In this chapter, I'm going to try and not do a cliffhanger at the end, but I can't make any promises. __By the way, I'm constantly amazed at some of the people who leave reviews that state "I read the entire thing in one sitting!" I have to give you readers "props" (as Randy Jackson would say) for that kind of accomplishment. Even I can't read 41 chapters in one sitting, and I wrote it!_

_Okay, time for more!_

Suikotsu stood in the doorway. Though he could not see it, Mukotsu stood in front of the women, thinking he might have to possibly make some sort of futile attempt to protect them. All he saw were Kagome and Kikyo both half-dressed and in terrible fear. For a split second, his eyes met Kikyo's.

Kikyo said nothing, because nothing could form in her dry throat. But her thoughts ran wildly in her head. _Suikotsu is back! He's alive, with no jewel shard in his throat. I can't remember him ever looking like that before!_ If her heart had been restored, it surely would have been pounding wildly, and if her insides had been returned to her, they surely would have been tingling.

But it was Kagome who leaped up and dashed into Suikotsu's arms. "You're back! Is Bankotsu okay? Does he know I'm still alive?" she demanded.

"Uh, Bankotsu knew you were captured, but why would he think Naraku killed you? Inuyasha, it's alright now, I've got it under control! Let's get them out of here before Naraku comes back."

"Now you're talking sense…" Inuyasha said, but then trailed off when he saw Kikyo's eyes on Suikotsu. _If I was doubting that Kikyo loves him, my doubts are now erased…_ To avoid despairing, he looked at Kagome and admonished her, "Here's you're clothes, Kagome! We almost died trying to get them back to you!"

"Inuyasha…" Kagome said, as she sometimes did, wanting to say more, but never having the words. _He must have felt insulted when I asked after Bankotsu. But what can I do about it, I love him!_

Suddenly, Inuyasha's amber eyes darkened. "Hey, what the hell is _he _doing here?" he demanded, pointing at what looked like a very pale specter.

"Who?" Suikotsu demanded.

Mukotsu looked at Inuyasha, who of course could see him since he was half-demon, and giggled. "I'm getting out of here, don't you worry!" And with that, he zipped away, not that Inuyasha would have tried to stop him or would have been able to had he tried!

"He was helpful, in his own way," Kikyo assured Inuyasha.

"Hmph!" Inuyasha growled. "We need to get you two to safety before Naraku comes around."

"I can sense the jewel. He hasn't gone far," Kikyo said. "He was here a moment ago, but he left, I suppose."

"Maybe it's due to the purifying arrow you put here," Suikotsu suggested.

"Hey, you look weird! What's wrong?" Inuyasha asked Suikotsu.

"Don't worry, I'm fine," Suikotsu assured him. "You're funny, all of a sudden worrying about my well-being! Let's not get trapped in any more barriers, hm?"

"He's right! There's something wrong with your skin!" Kagome gasped as she finally put her skirt back on. "It's got sparkles all under it!"

"Ugh, not you too! Don't worry, Little Sister, it's just the power that you and Kikyo had been sending through the arrow. I'll explain it all when we get out of here, I promise. Now, where's that bastard?" Suikotsu asked as they made their way down the hall.

Up ahead, they all could hear sobbing. "That sounds a lot like…" Inuyasha began.

_"Naraku-sama, I swear to you that they were in there!" _they heard Kagura cry. Suikotsu peeked around the corner, and Inuyasha forcefully pulled him back. The floor squeaked.

"Now _they_ have escaped too! Fool, I have no time for you now!" they heard Naraku hiss. Suikotsu and Inuyasha were having a silent duel, Inuyasha trying to hold Suikotsu back. Suikotsu had this look like he was about to poke Inuyasha's eye out. Soon, however, it was a moot point, as Kagome gasped when she saw Naraku at the other end of the long hallway.

Naraku's red eyes met Suikotsu's mad dark ones for the first time, and for a moment, the air became so thick from the hatred that no one could possibly move. The first one to snap out of the trance was Inuyasha, who immediately busted out Tetsusaiga and grit his teeth in fury. Kagome and Kikyo were behind them, peeking out, and Naraku's eyes met all of theirs at least once before he laughed madly.

"You escaped my nasty little trap, did you? A waste of time, since I get the pleasure of destroying you now," Naraku declared.

"You'll have to get through me first, and that ain't gonna happen, Naraku!" Inuyasha informed the Spider Ogre.

Kagura stepped forward. "Your Red Tetsusaiga didn't break the barrier, I know it didn't, since it's still in place! So, how did you get out?" Kagura demanded. Naraku turned to her and looked, for his part, a bit surprised, maybe even a touch unsettled. "I tried to tell you that, but…"

"Never mind! You want to know how we escaped your death trap? Why don't you come a little closer…and I'll show you," Suikotsu offered in a deathly quiet voice.

Naraku seethed and leaped toward them in one bound. Suikotsu warned, "Inuyasha, watch out!" Then he also leaped forward.

_"No!"_ all three of them screamed at the same time, as Naraku and Suikotsu collided in midair. A second later, Naraku was smoking and several of his tentacles turned to ash.

"Inuyasha, NOW! Hurry!" Suikotsu told him.

_"Kaze no Kizu!" _Inuyasha growled, and the Wind Scar surged down the hallway, blasting a hole in the wall of the fortress, leading out to the night air. Unfortunately, Naraku still had enough wits about him to put up a small barrier around himself, so the attack had no effect on him.

"Let's get Kagome and Kikyo out of here!" Inuyasha yelled. Suikotsu seemed like he would have liked fininsh the job, but when Kikyo and Kagome scurried to him, he knew the fight was over for now. They wanted OUT. Inuyasha brought up the rear. Naraku writhed a bit on the floor, however, he wasn't going to totally give up. He reached out and his fingers morphed into long vines and attempted to catch at least Kagome by her heel. Inuyasha picked her up and followed Suikotsu who already was jumping out the hole in the wall with Kikyo in his grasp.

When they landed on the ground outside at last, they could hear a bomb go off in the distance. "Is that who I think it is?" Inuyasha asked.

"Ginkotsu! My brothers must have seen my flare! This place is about to become a war zone, so we'd better be ready for them when they get here," Suikotsu explained.

"Kagome and I need our arrows, because I somehow don't think Suikotsu is going to be able to do that trick again. Once we have them, we'll need to get to a strategic location."

"Right, up there looks good!" Suikotsu said, pointing to a cliff not very far away. "Now, I'm sure one of these people left some bows and arrows around." For a few minutes, among the dead, they searched for suitable weapons for the ladies.

"Your skin looks normal again, at least," Kagome commented to Suikotsu. "Hey, Bankotsu had told me that you guys had some kind of powers before you had been executed. Did you regain them?" Kagome asked in excitement.

Suikotsu sighed. "I don't have any special powers."

Inuyasha growled, "That's bullshit! What the hell did you do to get out of the barrier then?"

Suikotsu gave a small smile. "Alright alright! Fine, let me explain! During our first lives, we had saved the Yokai Empress from an invasion of her own disgruntled demon subjects. As payment, she granted each of us a demonic power…"

* * *

_"In this sack are orbs for each of you." The giantess had them glowing in a circle, then they each dropped into the sack. "Each one grants you a power you do not presently have. Choose wisely, humans."_

_Renkotsu stepped forward first. "I already know exactly what I want," he declared. He reached in and a clear orb came out. He squeezed it, and the power leaked out over him. _

_"The power to become invisible. Interesting choice. Could I assume you plan to use it to spy on others? You must use caution, however. Each of these powers has their limits. You can stay invisible indefinitely, but you most likely won't want to."_

_"Why not?"_

_"You shall find out, as you use your power, your limits. Now, you next," she told Kyokotsu. He glanced at Bankotsu, who gave him an approving nod. Then, he pulled an orb out of the sack and he squeezed that one as Renkotsu had done. He smiled, then tried it. A greenish light surrounded him._

_"You will be able to protect yourself and your brothers with this, but you will not be able to keep the barrier up too long on your own. And the barrier does not move with you, it is stationary," she warned Kyokotsu._

_"I understand, and I thank you," he said with a single nod of his big head._

_"And now for you," she invited Jakotsu to come forward. He reached in and twisted his lips as he sampled a few of the orbs for the feel of them. He winked at Bankotsu._

_"Dude, stop playing with the balls and just pick one," Bankotsu said under his breath. Jakotsu laughed loudly while Renkotsu ground his teeth. He finally picked one, and squeezed it. Then his expression changed, all merriment gone._

_"Wh..what is this?" Jakotsu asked as goosebumps covered his arms._

_"The power of mind-reading," the Yokai Empress explained._

_"Mind reading?" Renkotsu gasped._

_"If anyone plans to harm you or your brothers, you will know of it at once. This is the only time it will work, however," she clarified._

_"That's good. I don't want to know what people are thinking all the time!" Jakotsu sighed with relief._

_"Speak for yourself…" Renkotsu grumbled under his breath._

_"You are next," she told Ginkotsu, who reached in with his one human arm. When he squeezed his orb, he gasped. The power seeped into his human skin immediately and he would have grinned had his lips been free to do so._

_"I feel stronger," he admitted._

_"Your physical senses, your strength, have all been brought to the level of any demon's! If used wisely, this is one of the powers that will serve the Shichinintai best."_

_"All of what you have offered us, Empress, will serve the Shichinintai very well indeed," Bankotsu told her._

_"Then perhaps you should take your power now, Bankotsu-dono," she suggested as she offered the sack to him._

_"What about you two?" he asked Suikotsu and Mukotsu._

_"You are our leader, Bankotsu Oo-aniki, and you should have picked first!' Suikotsu complained._

_"Go ahead, Bankotsu," Mukotsu said with a slight shake of his head._

_Bankotsu pulled his orb from the sack. When he burst it open, he gasped. His blue eyes turned into orbs themselves as he began to levitate! All the others watched as he floated above them._

_"You have the power to fly now, but remember that you are a human that can fly, not a bird!" the Empress warned him._

_"Thank you!" Bankotsu said with his usual charming smile as he let his feet touch the ground._

_"Go ahead, Mu," Suikotsu offered his brother._

_"Very well," Mukotsu responded with a shrug. He reached into the sack… When he drew out his orb and squeezed it open, his toad-like lips shaped a huge grin. "Oo-aniki! This is perfect! Look at this!" With that, Mukotsu used his mind to pull the final orb from the sack. "Here, Suikotsu! This one is for you!"_

_"Mukotsu, that is perfect! If you can do that with those orbs, imagine what you'd be able to do with the mists!" Bankotsu said excitedly._

_Renkotsu remained silent. He was acting a little sullen, but he had no one to blame but himself. Suikotsu held out his hand and the orb landed into his palm. "What does this one do?" he asked._

_"Open it and you will see," the Yokai Empress suggested. Suikotsu squeezed, and a very strange thing happened. His eyes darted from one brother to another, and to the Yokai Empress too._

_"What is it, Suikotsu-aniki?" Kyokotsu asked._

_"It will take you some time to accustom yourself to this ability, Suikotsu-dono. However, once you master it, you might find it the greatest of all the powers. For one thing, you will be able to heal, since, from what I understand, you are a doctor?"_

_"Yes! A healing power! How wonderful!" Suikotsu smiled._

_"No, not a healing power. You can use your ability in order to heal people, but you do not use your power to do it. You use theirs. That, Suikotsu, is your ability. You can absorb power from others, and use it however you see fit. Can you see how you can use it to heal? Of course, you won't be able to bring anyone back from the dead, since that person would have no power for you to absorb."_

_Suikotsu thought about it for a moment. "Yes, I think I understand."_

_"It will take time," the Yokai Empress counseled him once again._

_Renkotsu said smugly, "It looks like you didn't really get a power at all then, did you?"_

* * *

"In a way, he was right, of course. So that's what I mean when I say I have no power of my own. I just have everyone elses," Suikotsu smirked. By this time, they had all reached the cliff.

"So, it was you who was absorbing all our purifying powers!" Kikyo gasped.

"That's why your skin was glowing!" Kagome added.

"You two pack quite a wallop! I was hoping I'd encounter Naraku and be able to use it against him. No point in letting it go to waste, was there? But," Suikotsu sighed, "I admit, it felt rather good holding on to that power. At the same time, Inuyasha could have gotten accidentally purified if I had held on to it much longer."

Inuyasha sat back on his heels for a moment and said nothing. _Sure, Suikotsu's skin had been glowing like lightning bolts when he absorbed the Kaze no Kizu, but he had to get rid of it or he could have died._ Which reminded him… "Kagome, I have to talk to you, right away, in private! Kikyo, please watch over Suikotsu for a minute?"

"Of course, Inuyasha," Kikyo said, a bit confused.

When they got about ten feet deeper into the woods, Kagome asked, "What is it, Inuyasha?"

"Kagome…I'm a believer!" Inuyasha declared in a quiet voice.

"About…" Kagome started, then thought for a second. "Oh! That's why you're being so protective of Suikotsu?" Inuyasha's anguish finally showed in his face. "You said you almost died getting my clothes to me. What happened?"

"It was awful!" was all Inuyasha was willing to say.

"Kikyo started turning to dust! I started to dissolve! That wasn't Naraku! Mukotsu called it a karmic shift. _Suikotsu was the one who almost died, wasn't he?" _Kagome gasped.

"He had a head start over here when we got back from your era. I decided to follow him, after hearing that conversation that you had with Toshiro and Grandpa. I had to know! And now I do," Inuyasha sighed. The bombs grew louder, and suddenly, demons began to fill the air!

"The battle is starting, Inuyasha! Kagome needs to come with me!" Kikyo reminded him.

"Kagome, will you be alright?" Inuyasha asked her.

"Just take care of Suikotsu, please," Kagome begged him.

"Hey, what's this with him taking care of me? I can take care of myself perfectly fine!" Suikotsu huffed, and just to illustrate his point, he gave Kikyo a rougish grin and leaped down off the cliff!

"Don't worry, he's alright just this minute," Inuyasha assured Kagome, whose eyes nearly popped out of her head. _How did I get such a wild man as my ancestor? _"You just take care of Kikyo," Inuyasha instructed her.

For once, the mention of Kikyo didn't make Kagome go into orbit in rage, which to Inuyasha was very telling, in a number of ways. He hoped that maybe it was because she finally knew that Inuyasha was not destined to be with Kikyo, and she had no reason to be jealous anymore. This cheered the hanyo considerably. As he leapt from the cliff to go to Suikotsu, Inuyasha' thought happily, _Now, all I have to do is eliminate that Bankotsu!_

* * *

_Note #2: Well okay, it's a cliffhanger, but not as much as usual. Next chapter is coming up very soon, (because it got too long again and I had to break it up) I promise, because I already wrote most of it!_


	44. Super Shard

Little Sister

Chapter 43: Super Shard

Ginkotsu finally resumed pulling his old tank-like machine along, using his superior strength. "Boy, that was some scare we had! I'm certainly glad that's over!"

Hojo Toshiro shuddered. It _had_ been awful. Everyone had been in terrible pain, near death! Even he himself had nearly dissolved. Being glad it was over didn't even cover Toshiro's profound relief. How did the burly warrior pulling the tank forward take it so lightly? Well, not everybody took it so lightly, actually. Renkotsu had turned on Jakotsu for some reason immediately after it had happened...

* * *

_"You stupid son of a bitch! Why didn't you tell us that was coming?" Renkotsu snarled at Jakotsu._

_"How was he supposed to know it was coming?" Toshiro spoke up._

_Renkotsu turned his cold eyes to Toshiro. "He's supposed to make himself useful, and so far all he's done is supplied some dead weight for Ginkotsu to carry!"_

_"Leave my Toshiro alone!" Jakotsu seethed._

_"My main problem is with you, Jakotsu! Keep you mind on where it belongs! Or I'll..." Renkotsu began as he moved forward. Suddenly, out of nowhere, or so it seemed, a greenish light surrounded Jakotsu. Renkotsu touched it; it was a barrier!_

_His skin began to prickle. "K...Kyokotsu?"_

_"No, that would be me," Toshiro said with a little smile. Renkotsu's eyes widened. "But, Kyokotsu has been teaching me how to do it. Pretty neat, huh?"_

_"I...I," Renkotsu began to say, but words failed him._

_Finally, Bankotsu made his way to them. "What's going on here? What's holding you all up?"_

_"N...Nothing, Oo-aniki," Renkotsu stammered as he started glancing wildly around him._

_"What do you mean, nothing? There's a barrier around Jakotsu! Kyokotsu?" Bankotsu said with a breathlessness reserved for someone truly awed._

_"Um, I can't keep the barrier up if we want to move, so, I'll have to remove it. Will you be okay?" Toshiro asked Jakotsu._

_"I'll be fine. But remember, let's not make a habit of that if I need to fight," Jakotsu reminded Toshiro a bit sternly._

_Bankotsu was startled. "Is there anything else you do?" he asked Toshiro._

_"I…I don't think so," he answered with a gulp. "I never even knew I could do that. My life got so weird ever since I broke my ankle," he admitted._

_"Oh that reminds me, once we get Suikotsu back, he needs to heal Toshiro's ankle," Jakotsu announced. Everyone was silent. Jakotsu seemed to ignore it completely and marched on ahead. Ginkotsu resumed pulling the tank-like machine that Toshiro was riding on…_

"Hmph, I'm _trying_ not to be dead weight," Toshiro sighed aloud. He didn't know what else this bizarre night would bring, but he knew one thing for sure. He did not like that Renkotsu one bit.

* * *

"That was definitely Inuyasha's _Kaze no Kizu,"_ Miroku confirmed. If only Kagome were here, she'd be able to sense Naraku's jewel shard. As it is, there is an immense demonic aura here."

"He is here. My _miko_ is here too…" Bankotsu trailed off. He had the head that had been tossed among them wrapped in an extra sash. Toshiro said it wasn't Kagome's real head, but still, somehow, it got made from Kagome, so Bankotsu felt it needed to be treated with respect.

"Here comes the first wave, Oo-aniki!" Renkotsu called out. Bankotsu saw the army of demons above their heads, and he took off into the air. Miroku gaped up at him for a moment, watching a bit dumbly as Bankotsu's Banryu tore apart one demon after another. Then, Ginkotsu's bombs began to thunder through the air. Miroku prepared his sutras, and Sango climbed onto Kirara's back.

"If Kagome is there, alive, I will find her!" she vowed, and Miroku nodded.

* * *

Inuyasha and Suikotsu were on the groud, back to back. "Don't take any stupid chances, Suikotsu," Inuyasha warned him.

"Listen, my only risk here is relying on your fighting skills in such close quarters," Suikotsu grumbled.

"Yeah, I know you're better than me with this, but I ain't exactly helpless!" Inuyasha growled back as he sliced up a demon with his claws.

"Well, just remember that I'm not helpless and don't you dare get in my way, and we'll get along just fine," Suikotsu retorted as his own claws shredded another demon.

* * *

Toshiro had scrambled off Ginkotsu's old tank platform once his cannons started booming. He figured if he remained there much longer, he'd go deaf. If he ever were to return to these times again, he'd have to remember to bring a pair of those earplugs someone would wear at loud concerts… He limped along, and he saw Kyokotsu beside him. He decided to speak aloud to the giant specter, since it was so noisy anyway, no one would hear him and think he was completely nuts.

"Mukotsu has helped Kagome escape!" Kyokotsu managed to tell Toshiro.

"That's awesome! I knew she wasn't dead!" Toshiro cried happily. "But, how did I know that?"

"I don't know all the answers about your powers. I just know that I knew I'd be able to pass along the knowledge of building barriers to you. You know, I think that you'd be able to do even more with them than I ever could. If I had only been a bit stronger in life, Bankotsu would have been able to see me, like he could see Mukotsu." Kyokotsu broke off. Then, he grit his sharp teeth. "Oh, no! That _witch!"_

"What witch? Wait, are those soliders crawling up here?" Toshiro asked, hardly able to believe what he was seeing.

"They aren't humans anymore. They're corpses. Mobilized by demon magic. That demon sorceress' magic," Kyokotsu seethed.

Toshiro stammered, "Who are you talking about?"

"Her name is Kagura. She is of Naraku. Evil to the core," Kyokotsu answered.

"And she's making the corpses climb up this hill? I have to get out of here," Toshiro gasped. His ankle broiled with pain as he stumbled up the hill. Kyokotsu could only watch him and encourage him, but he would have loved to have been able to simply pluck the boy off the ground and perch him up in a tree.

A silver slash streaked up the hillside, seeming to ensnare one corpse. In horror, Toshiro saw the silver blades wrapped around the corpse being to tighten and then… he gagged when he saw the body seem to explode into a pile of blood and bones. A few seconds later Jakotsu ran up to Toshiro and saw him doubled over.

"Uh, oh!" Kyokotsu sighed at the scene.

"I can't! This isn't for me! I can't stand this. I have to get away from here," Toshiro rambled.

"Let's go then!" Jakotsu yelled, pulling Toshiro away, up the hill. Several of the dead soldiers gave chase, at the command of Kagura's fan, distant, out of their range…but not for long.

"No, get away from us! Stay back! Sit down!" Toshiro ranted in near hysterics as one cold dead hand reached for his foot. The hand retreated, as though it had touched something hot. The dead soldier crawled back a few paces, and then, unbelievably, _he sat down on the ground._

Suddenly, Kyokotsu's words from a little while ago came back to Toshiro. _You have an affinity with the dead._ His spine reverberated with a shiver so cold and scary he thought he might cry from it. "Sit down. Sit down. _Sit down."_ One after another, the dead around him sat on their heels, awaiting his next command, it seemed. Toshiro dared to glance at Jakotsu. "I…I didn't know I could do this…when you came to see me. I swear I didn't know!"

"What the hell's going on up…here…?" Renkotsu trailed off in shock. Toshiro's heart was pounding. The look in Renkotsu's eyes triggered something in the young man's soul. _Not so useless now, am I?_

"Men, follow me!" he ordered the walking dead soldiers. Stiffly, they stood up on their feet and traipsed down the hill again with Toshiro and Jakotsu.

Renkotsu crept back to Ginkotsu who was reloading his cannons to take another shot at the fortress, which now was so badly damaged that the wall was virtually useless. "Hold your fire, Ginkotsu! We've got, um, reinforcements coming through." And Ginkotsu gaped at Toshiro's undead army as they followed him forward, toward the castle.

* * *

Naraku had recovered from Suikotsu's counterattack, apparently. He and Kagura and about several thousand of their closest demon friends clouded the sky. A pair of arrows began to make tiny dents in the demonic cloud.

"Kagura, take care of this vermin. I'm taking Kikyo and Kagome back into our fold," Naraku declared. He took off.

But about halfway to the cliff where the mikos were, Naraku was distracted. He'd seen that Suikotsu again! Naraku was torn for a moment. Either he had to kill Suikotsu now, or he'd have to kill him later, but he might have more trouble if he waited. Still, he'd miss his chance to get Kikyo, and he decided he needed to have her in his possession first, in order to satisfy Onigumo… So he continued on to the cliff, facing the arrows.

* * *

"Inuyasha, I won't be able to get to them fast enough!" Suikotsu yelled when he saw what Naraku was going to do.

"But…" Inuyasha gasped, and then he saw Suikotsu's glare, saying more than even his or Kagome's yelling put together. "Alright, fine!" He leaped into the air with Tetsusaiga.

In the confusion, Toshiro's brigade began to surround Kagura. Alarmed, she attempted to regain control of the soldiers that she had been manipulating. Finally, she had to resort to blasting them out of her way once it became evident that whoever was controlling them was stronger than she was! "Who's doing that? Who's taking my puppets from me?" she screamed, then saw, for the first time, a young man dressed in black with brass buttons. "A human? I'll get rid of you first, pest!" Kagura snarled. She hurled some Wind Blades at this man-child who dared to toy with her. However, her attention was diverted by Naraku's newest enemy…

"I have a better idea; why don't you try that stunt on me, eh?" Suikotsu dared her.

Kagura seized the opportunity. "Fine with me! I'll get rid of you before Naraku has a chance to indulge in his sick fantasies. He'll get mad, but it'll be worth it," she muttered to herself while looking at Suikotsu. She sent the Wind Blades after him. He leaped away from them, but more came. And this batch, he wouldn't be able to dodge so easily. Could he catch something so scattered as the Blades? Suikotsu gasped when the blades sailed into…a barrier!

"What? Why you little brat!" Kagura gasped. Her original quarry, that mysterious young man, had arrived behind Suikotsu with his hands extended, one of them giving off a bright glow from between his tightly clenched finegrs. Crouched inside the barrier alongside him was a effeminate warrior she knew was one of the Shichinintai, and behind all of them was a ghost of a large giant! She had to blink. "You…you have that jewel shard! _Naraku-sama! The Shikon Jewel shard is there!"_ Kagura called up to him.

Meanwhile, Suikotsu turned on Toshiro. "What the hell are you doing?" he growled as he crawled next to Jakotsu.

Kyokotsu, from his dimension, said, "Tell Suikotsu he'd better stay in there or I'm going to get really mad! Just hold onto that big jewel shard; that will keep Suikotsu from busting out!"

Toshiro was still trying to catch his breath, as his powers had been amplified so quickly. But fortunately, he recovered just in time, because Naraku was bearing down on them all! "Oh my God! Is that…Naraku!"

Kyokotsu laughed. He knew that Naraku had the ability to see him, and hear him. In fact, Naraku looked up and saw him for the first time. "So close, yet so far away…" Kyokotsu grinned.

"Why, you meddling specter! Are these your friends you are trying to protect? This piddling barrier will not stop me!" Naraku laughed as he started trying to pierce the barrier with a razor-sharp tentacle.

"Not so piddling, is it?" Kyokotsu asked with a note of pride in his voice. Naraku became most fearfully angry as he tried in vain to hack a hole in Toshiro's barrier.

Naraku suddenly remembered what the toad-like specter had told him. That this Twice-dead knew all about barriers. Damn it all! He glanced up at the cliffside and by now, Inuyasha had reached Kikyo and Kagome. Fine, that would have to wait, Naraku told himself, even as Onigumo raged on. "He's in there. She'll come to you once you have him. And I will take the jewel shard that the boy holds. He can't hold onto that power forever."

"Heh, he can hold onto it a lot longer than you think, hanyo!" Kyokotsu taunted him. "It's a good thing Jakotsu had been given the shard earlier today, isn't it?"

"Hey, I thought I might have heard…" Suikotsu breathed.

"It's Kyokotsu! He is Twice-dead. He taught me how to build these barriers. Do you think it was handy of me to make it?" Toshiro asked Suikotsu.

"You tell that big ugly mother fucker to let me out of here! Using the Shikon shard, that's just cheap!" Suikotsu ranted. He even tried to touch the barrier and it singed his fingers.

"Are you that suicidal?" Toshiro asked in disbelief. "I can't tell who Naraku out there is more angry at, you or me! And you shouldn't call Kyokotsu that!"

"Oh, I only mean it in the nicest possible way, of course," Suikotsu seethed.

"I know," Kyokotsu sighed. "Oh, and Toshiro, that's not just one shard you have, it's actually eight of them molded back together."

"It's like a chunk of the jewel," Jakotsu clarified.

"Or, as I now like to think of it, Super Shard," Toshiro said with a slightly mad giggle at the look on Naraku's face. The demonic man's red eyes were blazing, and his lovely jaw was clenched tightly in rage. "I think, judging from just the look on his face, that we're at a stand-off, aren't we?"

"Just hold on, Toshiro. Help is coming," Kyokotsu told him.

* * *

Sesshomaru saw the enormous horde of demons surrounding the castle. "Jaken, take Aun and the children away from here. Naraku has emerged from the mountain, as I had been hoping he would!"

"Sesshomaru-sama, do you not need my assistance in dealing with that trash down there?" Jaken asked.

"I need you to protect Rin with your life! The other two, when the time is right, release them. I have no more need for them." With that, Sesshomaru broke away from Aun, the loyal two-headed demon who accompanied him through one battle after another.

* * *

Kagome and Kikyo could not see the ground very well through the demons. So when Inuyasha came plowing through them, Kagome gave a start.

"Why are you up here?" Kagome asked.

"Naraku is on his way up here!" Inuyasha warned them.

But through the clearing that Inuyasha had made, Kagome could see that wasn't the case. "Naraku's still down there! I sense a large shard of the jewel too, besides his! What's going on?"

Kikyo screamed. _"He's got Suikotsu!"_ Both Kagome and Inuyasha yelled as well, until Inuyasha saw just enough through the haze that there was a _barrier_ around a small group of people, and that Naraku was pounding away at it with a terrifying rage.

"Not just yet, Kikyo! Hold on, Suikotsu, I'm coming!" Inuyasha called out as he began to leap back toward them again.

And then, Bankotsu made his arrival. He was flying down toward Naraku. Kagome yelled as loud as she could, "I'm here! Bankotsu, I'm here, I'm alive!" She started to try and leave the cliff, but realized that it was too steep for her to leap like Inuyasha had done. "Bankotsu! Look over here! I'm here!" she screamed as the mercenary landed behind Naraku.

Bankotsu's voice echoed through the area as he demanded, "Tell me why you did this to my Kagome!" Kagome could only see a small outline of Bankotsu, holding what he thought was her head in his one hand and Banryu in his other.

At nearly the exact same time, Sesshomaru emerged, preceded by a wave of blue energy from Tokijin. "So, you have resurfaced at last, Naraku!" the yokai prince called out over every voice.

Naraku now knew that he'd need to make his retreat. He painfully pulled away from the barrier, turned his back on that dispicable Suikotsu, and left Kikyo on her cliff. Naraku had heard very dimly that reincarnated little fool Kagome screaming to this treacherous bastard before him that she was alive. He had to act very fast if he was going to keep Bankotsu as his slave, as he had threatened Kagome he would do, if she did not cooperate in helping him find the last jewel shard. "Believe me when I tell you no one regrets that more than I do," Naraku said quickly to Bankotsu.

"Wait! Bankotsu, that's…" Toshiro managed to say before Naraku's miasma surrounded Bankotsu, blocking all light, all sound. Tenatacles snapped around his body and dragged him off his feet, into the air. The only things he could see were Naraku's feet above him as he sailed further and further up and away.

_I will go to the very edge of Hell for you, my miko. He must bring you back and I will do whatever it takes so that he will give you back to me!_

Unfortunately, Bankotsu could not hear Kagome's anguish as Naraku passed by her and Kikyo on the cliff, as though she really were dead. He could not hear Kagome's voice begging Naraku to let him go. Bankotsu didn't hear Naraku respond, "You know what you must do." He didn't know Inuyasha had dashed back up the cliffside, holding Kagome by her shoulders and quietly watching as Naraku took his hated rival further and further away.


	45. Please and Thank You

Little Sister

Chapter 44: Please and Thank You

Bankotsu was practically dragged through the darkness that surrounded him by his bound wrists. His feet splashed through shallow swamp water, and yet he kept from slipping. He could hear nothing except his own thoughts. And those were racing.

_Why would Naraku be glad that I returned Kagome's head to him? Why would he say that he regretted what he'd done? Surely she was a bane to his existence! _With the uncertainty came a bit of hope. _Naraku is surely the biggest schemer I've ever known! Could this all be one big hoax after all? What can he be up to?_

"This is far enough. Now, I release you from the miasma, and you may see where we are," Bankotsu finally heard Naraku say. The cloud that had shut all the light and sound out of his world dissolved. Bankotsu was in a swamp, as he had surmised. Tiny lights offered a glow through the gloom, and a few small structures linked together by bridges could be seen around them. In one of the open structures, Bankotsu saw the form of a female suspended within, with a head hovering a few inches above the rest of her.

_"Kagome!" _Bankotsu cried out. He charged toward her body, which was clad in a pink kimono, only to be jolted by a painful barrier. Bankotsu slid to his knees, then bowed before Naraku. "Please, if you say that you regret taking her head off, I beg you to have mercy on her and restore her to life. Don't make her suffer for my sins!"

Naraku snickered and sneered at Bankotsu. "I knew I could count on you to return her head to me. You're very efficient. Since you did that, it is indeed possible for me to revive her with a shard of the Shikon Jewel, just as I had done with you."

Bankotsu turned his eyes to Banryu. "There's one shard left in my halberd! Please, Naraku, use that one for the time being!" he offered.

He felt Naraku yank his head up by his braid. "That's _Sama! You will address me as your master!"_ Naraku corrected him harshly. "Do you think I will give you back Kagome without adequate compensation, Bankotsu? You will remain in my service, forever! I don't take too kindly to treachery such as yours. I feel I am being very generous by allowing you to live at all!"

"Sama! Take my life then, if you are so angry that you cannot be satisfied without blood being spilled. Kagome is innocent, and does only good. Besides, Sama, Kagome can see the jewel shards, and therefore that makes her more valuable to you than I ever could be," Bankotsu reasoned.

Naraku released Bankotsu as though he were a piece of rubbish. "That's true. Except for one thing," Naraku grinned. "Kagome has completely abandoned Inuyasha in her heart. This much, my Infant has been able to discover when he probed her soul. If I have you as my slave, she will obey me and get that last final jewel shard that I cannot seem to find on my own. Having you both ultimately in my power will get me that last shard."

Bankotsu closed his eyes to steady his thoughts. _If only I had been able to get to you in time, Kagome! _He was thankful that Naraku had only captured him; he couldn't bear the thought of having to order the rest of his brothers back into Naraku's service for all time. He could bear this burden; he'd been prepared for extreme burdens all his life, both lives, actually. "Did I hear you right, Sama? The very last shard?" Bankotsu gasped.

"It will the be final shard that I cannot account for. I'm having trouble finding it. My problem has become yours. However, even though you cannot seek it for me, that does not mean that you are of no use to me. You will be my _shinobi, _a role you mistakenly thought that Kohaku filled."

"Forgive me, Sama, however, I am not fully familiar with all of the secret techniques of the Iga clan," Bankotsu began.

Naraku laughed loudly and waved that off. "Those of the _Iga_ could only dream of having the powers you have, so stop being so modest! You're funny!" Naraku laughed even louder. To Bankotsu, it sounded almost as though _it wasn't Naraku laughing,_ but someone else.

_"Onigumo?"_ Bankotsu breathed. Is Naraku possessed by Onigumo? Or is Onigumo possessed by Naraku?

Naraku suddenly recovered himself, as though he'd never heard the Iga comment. Now, it was back to business. "Inuyasha does not have the power to defeat me any longer, I have seen to it. His brother Sesshomaru does not have the will, though he thinks he does. Kagome's allies are disjointed without her guidance. Koga and the Wolf Demon Tribe, or what's left of them, will wither away once I reclaim those jewel shards from his legs. Which, of course, my new slave, you will be instrumental in accomplishing. But, there is one task you must do before anything else." Naraku's expression changed.

"Women…they are currency, you know, Bankotsu-dono. To possess the finest women, the most beautiful, the most intelligent and talented, only serves to enhance and enrich the man who has her. Only the most powerful men can have the finest women. I know that you think Kagome is the superior of the two. I obviously disagree. Kikyo is close to a goddess. Only a man who is close to being a god himself can have her. Your brother has over-reached his bounds, sullied her make-believe body. You must bring that one, Suikotsu, to me, alive and well, and from there, I will take over. I have to destroy him before I can restore Kikyo's real body and then possess her. "

To Bankotsu, it sounded a lot like Onigumo talking again. He had to know it would come to this. Suikotsu's actions were about to come home to roost… "Sama, how will you restore Kikyo's real body?"

"With the Shikon no Tama complete, I will be able to do anything I set my mind to, no matter what Naraku wants!" Bankotsu gasped at the statement. "Why wouldn't I be able to resurrect the dead? I could bring your Kagome back to life whenever you have completed the task I send you on! It would be worth it to me. It would be your reward for helping me finally get my revenge, to finally get what I've been desiring all these years!" Onigumo frowned. "Surely your worthless brother's life is not worth _Kagome's,_ is it?"

"I will do any task that you order me to, Sama! Suikotsu will be brought to you, tonight if possible," Bankotsu declared, raising to leave.

"No! You're tired. You're hungry. You're _human._ And, Onigumo's wrath can wait one more night, I think. Therefore, you will set out on this task tomorrow. Now," he told Bankotsu, making him rise to his feet, "be restored!" Bankotsu felt power surge through him, and his stomach felt oddly full, as though he had drank several quarts of sake. "You will never feel hunger again. Convenient, is it not? You won't even have to stop to eat. I don't have a remedy for sleep yet, but be assured, you soon will not need that either, if I have my way. Why should I waste precious time with a slave that has to spend hours a day sleeping instead of serving me?"

"Of..of course, Sama," Bankotsu said. Already, his mind was spinning a plan to get out of this predicament. _Who am I really serving now? Onigumo or Naraku? At least they both agree that they are willing to bring Kagome back to me. It sounds like Naraku wants Kagome back to find the last shard, and Onigumo wants to bring Kagome back to repay me for my services. One way or another, it's going to happen. That's all the hope I need to get through this! _Bankotsu crawled over to the place where Kagome's body hovered, just beyond his reach, and he settled there, on the cold floorboards under her feet. There was no where else he could possibly think of being than right there with her. _I will do anything to save you, my miko, even forsake my brother who has sworn his life and loyalty to me...I know of all my brothers, besides me, you love him best. I'm so sorry my love. Please forgive me…_

Kagura watched this human after he drifted off to sleep. She smiled. What a lovely slave Naraku had gotten himself! She happily agreed to make sure he did not escape after Naraku left a little later. After all, he had to make good on his promise to "bring Kagome back from the dead," didn't he?

* * *

Kagome was inconsolable. Inuyasha was not yielding, either. "I'm not letting you go to Naraku and help him get the last jewel shard just to save that murdering bastard!" he yelled at her. Everyone was assembled where Naraku had first grabbed Bankotsu and took off.

"He thinks I'm dead," she sobbed. "Naraku is going to make him his slave and use his feelings for me to string him along! He doesn't deserve that, nobody does!"

"Kohaku has been Naraku's servant for a long time already. Did he deserve that?" Inuyasha shot back. "This son of a bitch had killed and killed over and over again and laughed as he did it! He deserves to suffer whatever punishment fate delivers to him, including being Naraku's servant! I'm not the bad guy here, Kagome!"

"Inuyasha, I did some of the same killing that Bankotsu did. Why haven't you tossed me to Naraku for 'punishment' like Bankotsu?" Suikotsu asked him quietly.

"Never! With you, it's different!" Inuyasha argued. "I remember when I first met you. We did battle. You nearly killed me. You could have. You would have, if those children hadn't called out to you. That stopped your claws in their tracks! Bankotsu, he would never have stopped, no matter who it was protesting it. He would have sliced my head off!"

"That's not entirely true. He did have an opportunity to kill you, but he spared you, remember?" Suikotsu countered.

"It's true!" Kagome cried, recalling when Inuyasha had been purified and subdued by the Shichinintai easily. "He even set off his flare so the others could find you," she reminded him.

Inuyasha turned his amber eyes to Kagome, as though considering what she was saying. _Dammit Kagome, why can't you see this guy for what he is? _"Fine. I have an idea. Kagome, you and Toshiro must come with me, back to your own time! Once I know you are completely out of Naraku's grasp, I will try and help Bankotsu out." _I'll promise her anything just to get her to cooperate…_ _With Kagome safely with her family, I can concentrate on finishing off Naraku._

"You will? Oh, Inuyasha! Thank you!" Kagome wept, then threw herself into Inuyasha's arms. He applauded himself on not smiling when he embraced her. Then he looked into her deep brown eyes. "You and Toshiro need to get ready to leave immediately. I have a bad feeling Naraku's going to be returning here soon to find you."

Kagome went over to Sango, Kirara, Miroku and Shippo. Sango tearfully embraced Kagome. "Kagome-chan, I'm so glad you're still alive! Please, stay safe!"

"I will. I love you all so much!" Kagome responded.

"Even Bankotsu?" Sango whispered.

"Yes," Kagome whispered softly in her ear.

"Then, he really didn't…hurt you?" Sango wanted to confirm.

Kagome sighed. "If you all must know, I'm still a virgin, alright?" she said in a quiet voice so Shippo might not hear.

"You are? Why, Kagome, that's just terrible…ouch!" Miroku yelped as somehow, Hiraikotsu manged to land right on his head.

"Yes, that's just _awful,"_ Sango grumbled. Kagme couldn't help it, she giggled, then turned around. She gasped at Ginkotsu.

He wagged a finger at Miroku. "If you are untoward to my Little Sister, _hoshin-sama,_ I'll happily break each of those groping fingers of yours!"

"Oh, Ginkotsu! It's alright. I've met much bigger _hentai_ than him," Kagome reassured him, then opened her arms to hug him. Ginkotsu had to bend down to reach her, and her feet lost contact with the earth in his arms.

"That's not very reassuring at all! I certainly hope it's no one I know!" Ginkotsu said warily as he released Kagome, who was giggling in response to his protectiveness, and the fact that he had no idea of Mukotsu's sewer-like brain.

She then marched up to Renkotsu. "I think this departure couldn't come at a worse time. You could be helping _us_ find the last jewel shard," he said unhappily. Then his eyes turned to Toshiro's, whose glance was very cold. "I apologize to you, Hojo-sama. I feel we got off on the wrong foot, and I would have liked the opportunity to rectify that."

Toshiro nodded stiffly. "When we come back, we'll see what happens," he said.

"Renkotsu, they will have to come back. But they need to leave until we get a firm plan in place on how to deal with Naraku. We're still not sure what his capabilities are, and in my opinion, the best thing we can do to keep the last shard out of his reach is to keep it hidden for now," Inuyasha told him.

Renkotsu still looked resentful, but quickly molded his face back into a smiling one. His brain was racing; he'd already surmised very quickly that Jakotsu no longer had the Shikon shard. The only one who might still have it was Kagome, his dear Little Sister. _At least if I get the big shard out of her grasp, not all will be lost tonight. _He took Kagome into his arms, and while she innocently hugged him, he very quickly surveyed the pockets of her skirt. She drew back, not even showing a sign that he had searched her, and smiled. He never let his smile slip, though when she turned to Jakotsu, Ginkotsu gave his favorite brother an evil eye.

"She doesn't have the jewel shard," Renkotsu explained softly enough so only Ginkotsu with his supernatural hearing could hear him.

Meanwhile, Toshiro was nearly in tears himself. "Jakotsu, I meant what I said. I really didn't know I had that kind of power over the dead when you came to me before you went to get the jewel shard taken out of your neck," Toshiro told him again.

"My beloved. It wasn't your power that drew me to you in the first place," Jakotsu reassured him and drew him into a full head on kiss. There were several startled glances in their direction, then some eyes turned away. Miroku actually pursed his lips.

After that, Kagome at last went over to Suikotsu. "You take care of yourself, you!" she admonished him as she hugged him.

He caught her chin in his fingers. "Now you listen here, you're just the Little Sister. You don't get to boss me around," he admonished her right back.

She giggled, then got a strange sensation. It was as though she was looking through Kikyo's eyes. "Suikotsu, Kikyo needs you right now," she told him.

Suikotsu backed away and gasped. "Where is she, Kagome?"

"She's nearby, but she's in a bad way," she reported.

"Go ahead, Suikotsu!" Inuyasha urged him. "Once we leave, if Naraku comes around, he's going to be drawn more towards us than you. And then I'll be back here in no time."

"Inuyasha, do you think you'll need someone at your back?" Ginkotsu asked him.

"He'll have someone. Me," a chilly voice answered.

"Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha gasped.

"You're right when you say Naraku will be chasing you and not Suikotsu for the time being. I plan to be there when he comes."

"Fine, let's get out here!" Inuyasha bundled Kagome and Toshiro onto his back, then took off. Sesshomaru followed close behind.

Renkotsu took Ginkotsu by the arm. "Never mind Suikotsu. Inuyasha's suddenly attached to him for some unknown reason, and we'll find out about it when the opportunity comes. But meanwhile, you have to help me find that damned jewel shard. I bet that fool Jakotsu dropped it somewhere over here…"

* * *

Dawn would soon be approaching, if the faint light in the horizon wasn't actually demons. Toshiro glanced up at the noble _yokai_ who was shadowing them. "Kagome, is that really Sesshomaru, the one who brought Jakotsu and the others back to life?"

"Yes, that's Sesshomaru," Kagome confirmed.

"Sesshomaru! Thank you, so much!" Toshiro called up to him. Sesshomaru didn't answer. "Sesshomaru?"

"He heard you. He's not going to accept thanks from a lowly human, so don't waste your breath," Inuyasha warned him.

But then, surprisingly, Sesshomaru began to talk. "Speaking of lowly humans, I find that Suikotsu most fascinating, don't you, my hanyo brother? _Especially the way he smells."_

"Oh, _shit,"_ Inuyasha breathed. How could he have forgotten about Sesshomaru's keen nose? "Sesshomaru, just forget about it, alright?"

"Would it not be fascinating, his response to finding out that his 'Little Sister' really is a relative of his? Oh, Kagome, did Inuyasha tell you that?"

"I found out before he did, actually," Kagome answered.

"Wait!" Inuyasha stopped and put Kagome and Toshiro down. Kagome saw the deep fear and conflict in Inuyasha's face and eyes.

"Why are we stopping? The sooner we get back, the sooner I can tell him—" Sesshomaru taunted, sensing Inuyasha's unease. Unbeknownst to him, Inuyasha's chest burned with phantom pain. It was his warning system, he discovered, a warning that Suikotsu's life is in imminent danger. And right now, it was because Sesshomaru was threatening to tell Suikotsu about his destiny.

Inuyasha looked up at Sesshomaru hovering just over their heads. "I know that you can tell him, but I am asking you not to!" he said softly.

Sesshomaru glared down at his bastard half-brother, relishing this scene greatly. _"Really?"_ Sesshomaru nearly laughed. He was glad Jaken wasn't here; at least these two humans were respectful enough to keep quiet, but Jaken would have been prattling on and on by now. The silence was so luxurious. "But why can't he know? I feel I owe it to him. After all, look at what he has done for me. Have you seen it?" Sesshomaru was showing off _both_ of his hands.

"He, he did _that?"_ Inuyasha gasped. _If he could rebuild Sesshomaru's arm, what else can he do?_

"You complain that I cannot accept thanks! Suikotsu said that he only rebuilt my arm because he wanted to see if he could! Of course he would say that…" Sesshomaru said, then nearly grinned. "I think he could handle the information perfectly well. I think you underestimate him!"

Inuyasha's chest had been feeling slightly better, but the pain nearly exploded again as Sesshomaru spoke of Suikotsu handling the information. He growled, "No, please, _please don't do that!"_

"Hmmm...that sounds almost like begging," Sesshomaru remarked, then landed his foot on Inuyasha's head, plunging him into the earth. _"Do you want to grovel and beg me to keep the truth from him?"_

"Yes," Inuyasha said, even though the grass under his face was muffling his voice.

"What's that?" Sesshomaru gloated.

"_**YES, PLEASE DON'T SAY ANYTHING TO HIM!"**_ Inuyasha bellowed.

Kagome had finally had enough. "You jerk! Did you forget what had happened to you just a little while ago? You wanted to know what caused it, didn't you? That's why you came back so fast, I bet!"

"What do you know about that?" Sesshomaru demanded, releasing Inuyasha's head from under his foot.

"It wasn't Naraku causing all those horrible things to happen. That was Suikotsu. _He almost died earlier tonight,"_ Inuyasha revealed, wiping some soil and morning dew off his face.

"Tokijin nearly left my scabbard," Sesshomaru commented.

"That's not the only thing that happened, is it? It was _Rin,"_ Kagome guessed. Sesshomaru's amber eyes, for just a brief second, revealed the very same stark fear that Inuyasha's had in them not long after they landed. "Oh, Sesshomaru! That must have been awful for you!"

Sesshomaru's face softened considerably. He almost barely hinted at a smile. "You and he _are_ closely related, Kagome. He has the same lack of fear of me that you have, exactly the same!" he marveled. "Awe, yes, but not fear. From a human! It is a measure of the quality of the human, this bravery. Very well, I will not tell Suikotsu that Kagome is his descendant, though I still have misgivings."

Inuyasha leaped up. "Oh, yeah! Well if you hadn't agreed, I would've just wrapped my hands around your neck and..."

"Whatever. I don't really know what you're up to; these things have a way of coming out, you know," Sesshomaru warned them.

"Let's get going. If you're done wasting my time, that is," Inuyasha growled. Then, he quickly added, "Toshiro, I didn't get to thank you for protecting Suikotsu earlier. Naraku surely would have destroyed him if not for your barrier!"

Kagome suddenly gasped. "I sense the Jewel!"

"Naraku!" Sesshomaru immediately surmised. He turned to Toshiro and finally said, "You're welcome." Then he turned to Inuyasha. "Get them out of here, I'll hold him off."

"What's this?" a menacing voice called down to them. "Your face is dirty Inuyasha! Family reunions are always so _cozy_ with you two, aren't they?"

"Come on! Let's hurry!" Inuyasha ordered Kagome and Toshiro. He took off while Sesshomaru advanced.

"Wow. Your older brother. He's _awesome!"_ Toshiro said with a bit of wonder in his voice as he watched Sesshomaru's attack with Tokijin against Naraku's barrier.

"Yeah, he's also a total dickhead!" Inuyasha grunted.

"Inuyasha, I'm sorry about Suikotsu…" Kagome sighed, "This whole situation is all my fault!"

"Kagome! No! Don't be sorry! It's fine! Really!" Inuyasha declared. "There's the well! Get ready!"

"What are you doing?" Naraku demanded to know as he advanced, though somewhat dissolved due to a blow from Tokijin. "What is that power? Where is it coming from?" Even Sesshomaru paused to look as Inuyasha and the two young humans plunged into the well, surrounded by blue light.

Meanwhile, inside, all three of them floated in the limbo between the Sengoku Jidai and the modern era. "Be careful, there is a chance that Naraku might try to follow!" Inuyasha drew out Tetsusaiga just in case Sesshomaru failed to keep Naraku back. "Kagome, if we get to your era without any trouble, you have to get Grandpa right away. He's got to put a sutra over the well to keep Naraku out. That's our only hope!" Inuyasha ordered her.

"But Inuyasha, if Grandpa puts a sutra over the well, that's going to have to keep everyone out!" Kagome cried.

"Hey, I've broken through Grandpa's sutras before," Inuyasha snorted.

"Yeah, but this one's going to have to be a lot stronger to keep Naraku out!" Kagome said.

When they all landed in the depths of the well shrine, Inuyasha finally said, "Kagome, just get Grandpa! I…I'll have to figure out something." He hadn't thought of that. In order to keep Naraku out, Grandpa's sutra would have to keep _everyone_ out. _Even me. _Toshiro climbed out of the well, but Inuyasha remained half in.

"Oh, Inuyasha, thank goodness you got Kagome back!" Mom Higurashi cried as everyone in Kagome's family burst into the shrine.

"We've got to keep her here! Grandpa, do you have the sutras," Inuyasha asked. Grandpa had several pieces of paper with spells written in ink ready for this very type of situation.

Inuyasha turned to Kagome, who's clear brown eyes were over flowing with yet more tears. She scurried to the well, and wept as she rested her forehead on Inuyasha's hands. He cupped her chin. "Kagome! I…I never thanked you for pulling the arrow out of my chest," he said, nearly breaking down himself.

Kagome sobbed. For Inuyasha to be talking like that, he must think that this was it; the last time they'd ever see eachother. _If Inuyasha didn't think he could come back, how would Bankotsu ever be able to?_ What was worse, if Bankotsu thought she was dead, or if Bankotsu knew she was alive and couldn't come and get her? _It's worse if he thinks I'm dead, because Naraku wil only torture him until he dies, never knowing the truth. I can't let that happen!_

"Inuyasha, if you really are grateful to me…if you ever loved me at all, please do what you promised you would do," Kagome finally answered.

Inside, Inuyasha winced. _I have to promise her to tell Bankotsu that she's alive? And mean it?_ "Yes. Yes, I promise I will do what I said I'd do. As long as you promise me that you won't try to go through the well again! Naraku now knows that you go through this well, and he'll be out there waiting for you! If anything happened to you, then all of Bankotsu's suffering will be in vain! Don't forget that!"

Kagome kissed his hands and cried "Fine! I promise I won't! Thank you! Thank you!"

He made no sound after that, he just looked at the others that were several paces back, and then dove backwards into the well. The blue light shone over Kagome's tear streaked face, then faded. She heard her grandfather warn her, "Get back now, Kagome!" she backed away as Grandpa shut one door hinge and Sota shut the other one. It was almost like someone closing a casket, Kagome thought grimly. Then, Grandpa placed the sutra papers on the closure. Kagome could see the energy from the spells glowing around the doors.

"Hopefully, five hundred years and those sutras will work to keep that monster out of here," Mom shuddered, then embraced Kagome.

"Oh, Mom, what am I going to do?" Kagome shreiked. "I love him! How am I going to be able to live without ever seeing him again?"

"Kagome, let's go. You need to get out of this dark place. Oh, Hojo! Your mother had called here, thinking you might be here. You'd better be getting home before your parents call the police."

"Right, I'm sorry. Wait, one last thing! Kagome, you have to take this. I'm worried I'll wake up an entire graveyard on the way home by accident if I keep it," Toshiro said. Then, he reached into his pocket. And pulled out Super Shard.

Kagome gasped. "The shard!"

"Hold on to it. There's a lot of people around that would want it, even in this era. It looks like it's destined to be shattered for a little while longer," Toshiro said sadly, then his cellphone rang. "And be grateful for one more thing, Kagome."

"What?"

"It's Saturday!" he reminded her, then kissed her on the cheek and left.

Kagome stared at the shard. Half of those shards merged into this one had kept Bankotsu alive. She pressed it against her heart. Would this be all she has left of him?


	46. Empty Hearts and Dry Tears

_Note: Two things I want to mention…_

_Number 1: I have put a PC andrews profile up on MySpace and on Facebook. I was able to put a link to the MySpace page in my author profile here. For Facebook, I think you have to search for me. I should be under Pc Andrews. They are not really "personal" accounts, and as far Facebook, I don't know much about how it works, but I thought I'd give it a try. Please check them out if you have a chance._

_Nuber 2: This chapter ran too long to get all the stuff I wanted into it, so I'm posting it this way. Next chapter will be more action…_

Little Sister

Chapter 45: Empty Hearts and Dry Tears

"Well, do you see it?" Renkotsu asked urgently. He was on all fours next to Ginkotsu, frantically scanning the ground.

"No, I don't think it's here, Renkotsu. Remember what Jakotsu said. He gave it to Toshiro, who was using it the last time I saw him." Ginkotsu answered unhappily.

"DAMMIT! That means that the shard might be in Kagome's time! Gin, make sure this area in secured, just in case we're wrong!" Bankotsu was captured, and that meant that Renkotsu was now in charge. Renkotsu had no idea when Bankotsu would be free again. He only would know it if Bankotsu were to actually die. And Renkotsu knew that Bankotsu was still alive, so therefore, had the potential to come back at any time, and whisk the command of the Shichinintai right back from him. That, and only that, was why he hadn't strangled Jakotsu for giving the Shikon super shard to his _boyfriend!_

_Why couldn't Sesshomaru have given me the shard? I'm definitely smart and clever enough to keep it out of Naraku's hands! I would know how to use the shard wisely!_ _I need the shard. I DESERVE the shard._

With those angry thoughts swirling in his head, Renkotsu growled, "Is Jakotsu still around? We have to talk!"

"I'm here. What is it?" Jakotsu asked glumly as he emerged from the woods. Fires had been set all around the fortress to dispose of all the dead from last night.

"Ginkotsu, you and I are the ones who have Bankotsu's seals on our faces," Renkotsu began. "He never got around to giving Suikotsu's back to him. You know what that means, don't you?"

"Nothing?" Ginkostu guessed.

"_He's not a part of the Shichinintai!_ At least, not right now. And it's just as well. Bankotsu was able to handle him. Frankly, I don't think I can. Certainly not without a jewel shard!"

Jakotsu gaped. "Renkotsu what are you talking about? You _have_ to keep Suikotsu! We need every brother we can get!"

"Look, we're not going on any jobs now, so we don't really need him. He'll just get bored anyway. If Bankotsu manages to escape Naraku, then, that might change things. But until then..."

"Are you out of your mind?" the three brothers heard over them. With a start, they turned to see Inuyasha. "Answer me, you stupid human! Are you?"

"Inuyasha, butt the hell out of Shichinintai business!" Renkotsu ordered him.

Inuyasha completely ignored Renkotsu and turned to Jakotsu. "Are _you _going to allow this?"

"I agree it's a terrible idea!" Jakotsu gasped.

"When Bankotsu is not here, the majority vote is suspended, and Jakotsu knows this. He has no say in this case, Inuyasha."

"Renkotsu, I can't believe this. He's been with us almost five years! In all this time, you never let go of what happened with you and him, did you?" Jakotsu said in amazement.

_"No!_ This has nothing to do with _that!_ It's just a practical decision, that's all," Renkotsu argued.

"Never mind, Jakotsu. So Suikotsu won't be with you anymore. Suits me fine. He's too good for the likes of you anyway!" Inuyasha spat. "I'll have him join my group. His medical knowledge would be invaluable to the humans in our group."

"Renkotsu, the hanyo has a point! You don't send a doctor away, anyone in military knows that!" Ginkotsu reminded him.

"I've got an idea. Let's forget we ever had this conversation," Jakotsu urged them.

"No, I'm going to tell him you're planning to get rid of him," Inuyasha grinned.

"Inuyasha, please don't do that. It might make him run off, and then none of us will ever find him," Jakotsu reported unhappily.

Inuyasha was just about to tell Jakotsu that he'd just track Suikotsu down by smell, he remembered something. _Tonight it the night of the new moon. I can't smell him that well even now. I won't regain my demonic powers until the morning. I can't have anything happen to Suikotsu while I'm out of comission._ "Alright, fine," he growled. "Do you think you can keep him here?"

"Yes, I'm sure I can. Renkotsu, maybe you'd better stay away from him for a while, seeing as how you're finally siezing an opportunity for revenge..."

"Jakotsu, you don't know what you're talking about!" Renkotsu protested.

Jakotsu simply rose and left. "We didn't have this conversation, Renkotsu!" he called back as he left. Inuyasha decided to follow him.

"Hey, what's this all about?" Inuyasha demanded.

"Toshiro and Kagome made it back okay?"

Inuyasha smiled. "Not a scratch on either of them. And Naraku can't get through that well. So they are safe."

"Good. I'll miss him terribly, but he has to be safe. He had the jewel shard, didn't he?" Jakotsu guessed.

"I think you are probably right. Better there, out of Naraku's grasp. But I bet Renkotsu there is cranky about it."

"Oh, yes! No wonder he's rambling about Suikotsu. He was hoping that Bankotsu would be taken out of the way, and that he'd have a jewel shard to do with whatever he wanted! Naraku Jr., anybody?" Jakotsu quipped.

"Heh! I still don't get what the problem is with Suikotsu," Inuyasha frowned suddenly.

"It's a long story," Jakotsu warned the hanyo, "and I don't even know all the details. But Renkotsu doesn't like Suikotsu, for many reasons. Jealousy, I think, is one of them. Their personalities clash a lot. And then, of course, there was that incident in Nagasaki years ago when Suikotsu first joined us. Renkotsu and Bankotsu had some kind of squabble, and Renkotsu had punched Bankotsu in the stomach. But Suikotsu saw it, and got mad at Renkotsu, even though Bankotsu had told him, point blank, that was none of his business. So, a few days later, Suikotsu had managed to get some of the others to turn on Renkotsu when Bankotsu's back was turned. It was bad; I had to jump in and try to keep Renkotsu alive long enough for Bankotsu to get back there and straighten everything out."

"So what happened?" Inuyasha asked with a bit of alarm.

"Bankotsu has very strict rules for us. One of them is that no one is to strike another, well, except Bankotsu, but he's the Big Brother. Anyway, Suikotsu argued about this, and Bankotsu wasn't having it. He can use Banryu to create a sort of field around a person, one that creates a great deal of pain. I've been in it a time or two myself, and I don't consider myself a very delicate person, but it's nightmarish. If I lasted five minutes in there, that was a record, I think."

"So, Bankotsu used this...field on Suikotsu?" Inuyasha growled.

"For seven days."

_"What?"_ Inuyasha gasped.

Jakotsu had to hold his forehead in his hand just thinking about it. "It was _horrible,_ they both almost died!"

"What do you mean they _both_ almost died?" Inuyasha grunted. "Suikotsu was the one in trouble!"

"You don't understand how Banryu works, do you? If Bankotsu uses her like that, he endures the exact same pain that he is inflicting on the other! But he wasn't backing down, and to his dismay, Suikotsu's tolerance for pain is beyond anything we had ever seen in a human."

"Shit... So, I guess what happened is that Suikotsu finally backed down?" Inuyasha frowned. He didn't like the idea that Suikotsu had to be the one to give in at last.

"We don't really know for certain. On the morning of the seventh day, we found them both unconscious on the floor of the inn where we were staying. Renkotsu was furious; it took them two more days to recover from it."

"Well, I should think so! Seven days of non-stop...whatever!" Inuyasha complained.

"With Renkotsu, it was always 'time is money,' that silly ass!" Jakotsu grumbled. "If Bankotsu hadn't invested the time and effort in Suikotsu, we would _never_ had become the great mercenary team we were. It's ironic, actually. I've been with Bankotsu from the beginning. All of the others were already part of the Shichinintai when we came across Suikotsu. In fact, we had a seventh brother, but he had died, and frankly, we needed to replace him."

"Really? There was another brother?" Inuyasha asked, intrigued even though he really shouldn't care.

"His name was Kamakotsu. He was young, maybe even younger than Bankotsu. Spoiled son of a lord, but he wanted to break out of that life, it was too confining for him. He was a good fighter though, and he had been trained well even before Bankotsu and I got ahold of him. He died of consumption, if you could believe it. Actually, we all had gotten it."

"Consumption...you mean that illness where your lungs are literally falling apart? How did you guys ever survive that?" Inuyasha gasped.

"Oh, humans can live with consumption for years, Inuyasha. We had Mukotsu, he was a bit more adept then the rest of us with herbs, but, as you might have guessed, he was more adept with killing roots than with healing ones. The very fact that we had found a _doctor_ with warrior skills, you can't overstate the stroke of good luck that was!" Jakotsu said.

"So, it was Suikotsu who was able to heal you all then," Inuyasha surmised, "when you guys got those powers from the Empress?"

"Yes. Each of us has something invaulable to offer the group. Renkotsu needs to remember this, instead of panicking like he is apt to do. I hope Bankotsu makes it back here soon, for Suikotsu's sake more than anyone else's." Inuyasha didn't answer him. _I don't want Bankotsu around anymore at all! I can keep Suikotsu safe from Renkotsu, I don't care if that group stays together or not!_

"I'm going to go find him!" Inuyasha told Jakotsu, then took off.

* * *

Suikotsu was in a turmoil. _Where could Kikyo be?_ He had already wandered beyond the borders of the ruined fortress gounds. He wasn't as good a tracker as Jakotsu, nor did he have Inuyasha's keen nose. All he had was his own mind, fractured as that was.

_"Well, where you you go if you were trapped in a clay body?"_ Suikotsu asked the Doctor. _"You're the one who is always supposed to be so damned sensitive, aren't you?"_

"I...I didn't mean for her to get upset. If only she hadn't run away! I could already have..." the Doctor lamented.

_"Fool! She's probably committed suicide already!"_ Suikotsu snarled.

"No! She didn't, not yet!" the Doctor said with conviction.

_"Either that, or Naraku grabbed her again. That bastard wants to fuck her in the worst way. Maybe he already did, while you and Inuyasha were busy getting all of us nearly killed,"_ Suikotsu growled.

"Just shut your mouth!" Suikotsu grabbed his crystal and grit his teeth. The last thing he needed was his evil half heckling him while he was trying to convince Kikyo to live once again. _If Naraku has harmed her, that will make my plight all the more difficult, but I will not give up on her._

There were some higher cliffs than the one near the castle. Suikotsu walked to the edge of one such cliff. It was steep and rocky. He peered down, and his sudden panic caught in his throat. Kikyo was there, crouched between ledges about twenty feet down. Suikotsu decided to try and get her off that ledge, but to do it, he had to start climbing down too. Carefully, he slipped over the edge of the cliff.

Kikyo realized someone was above her. She squeaked and leaped to her feet when she saw it was Suikotsu, the absolute last person she wanted to see. She began to shake her head, but she knew already that wasn't going to do any good. _Suikotsu was a stubborn man if there ever was one. Why should he get himself killed trying to save me when I'm so doomed?_

"Kikyo, I'll help you! Just let me get down there and we'll climb back up!" he called down to her.

"Suikotsu, NO! I jumped down here! I...I lost my courage to jump any further!" She sounded like she was trying desperately to cry, but couldn't.

"Kikyo! Don't do that again, please! Why would you do something like that?"

"Because I'm not a real woman! That we were even together that one time...that was selfish of me to do that, to take advantage of you like that! Just let me go, and move on with your life, please. You deserve more than what I have to offer, nothing but danger and grief!" Kikyo begged him.

"Kikyo, we can start over together! Please, listen to me! I will not leave here unless you come with me. Kikyo, remember what I was talking about earlier, about what ability the Yokai Empress gave me? Because Sesshomaru brought me fully back to life, I have been reborn, with that power! I had always known that if I only were able to use your considerable spiritual powers, I could channel them in a manner that would restore you to a true human woman's body!" Suikotsu explained to her.

Her dark eyes were doubtful. "Your certainty puzzles me. What if it doesn't work?"

"Oh, I'm confident because I know it will work. Besides, will you be any worse off if it didn't?" Suikotsu pointed out.

"There is only one way I would agree to this, Suikotsu. You must agree that if you heal me--"

"Oh, I _will_ heal you," Suikotsu cut in.

"You must agree that if you heal me, that you will be with me again," Kikyo pushed on.

Suikotsu gave her a look, mingled amusement and desire, and he silently held out his hand. Kikyo slowly reached her tiny hand up, and it was soon enclosed in his big one. How she wished she had a body, a real one, she thought wildly. How it would be reacting right now! Suikotsu caught her in one arm around her waist, then pulled them both up over the cliff's edge.

Once they were both on solid ground again, Kikyo trembled as she was swept into Suikotsu's arms. If she only had a heart, it would be pounding at the look in his eyes. She was nearly panicking; she didn't want him kissing her cold lips, and he looked like he was about ready to devour her. If she had bee able to breathe, she would have taken a relieved sigh when he put her back down on the ground.

"If you want me to be with you, then there is something you must agree to, Kikyo," Suikotsu dropped on her. Kikyo felt hot annoyance boil up. _Now what was he up to? _His deep sepia eyes riveted her to her place, even if his hand hadn't had an iron grip on her arm. "Those beads that Inuyasha wears, who made them?"

"I...I did!" Kikyo revealed.

His eyes flashed with satisfaction. "Good, then you can make a set of them for me."

Kikyo was stunned. When she finally regained her voice, she said "N..No..."

"Kikyo, don't say no! Those beads were made to protect yourself against Inuyasha's demon nature, weren't they? And you don't think you need protection from... _him?_ I no longer have a jewel shard for you to purify if I become too dangerous to be around you. And I _will not _allow you to be harmed at my hand!" Suikotsu told her. "Please, Kikyo, don't break my heart by refusing to do this!"

"I...I have to have a little time to make them, then. It's better if you don't try to heal me until I get this done."

"But, Kikyo, why would you wait?" Suikotsu gasped.

"Because once you heal me, since you are so confident it can be done, I know I'm not going to be able to pull myself away from you long enough to make the necklace," she warned him.

"Really?" Suikotsu asked.

Kikyo looked to the ground, then found a rock. She picked it up and handed it to Suikotsu. "Here, meditate on this. On how much you and this rock have in common!" Then she took her leave.

* * *

Bankotsu was sleeping. It had been a dreamless sort of sleep, until he started to feel as though someone was hovering over him. He started to slowly open his eyes.

"You're quite lovely, even if you are a human..." he heard a woman's voice saying. His eyes focused at last, and then flew wide open. Kagura leaned down over him, bringing her bared breasts closer to his face. "Finally waking up are you?"

_What do you do if your enemy is only inches away from you?_ Those words rung in Bankotsu's head. They were Suikotsu's words, spoken years ago, when he was teaching Bankotsu a few new techniques for close combat self-defense. With a grin, Bankotsu reached up slowly and put his hand between Kagura's breasts.

And then, he sent his fist straight through her chest, right out through her back!

Kagura gagged, but didn't collapse. "Just as I thought," Bankotsu murmured in dismay, "there really is no heart there."

At that moment, Naraku emerged. He saw the position Kagura was in, then shook his head. "Wow. I've done some kinky things in my time, Kagura, but I have to hand it to you, I've never dared to go there before."

"Great! Just great," Kagura muttered, then pushed herself off Bankotsu.

"I always thought you were _saving yourself for Sesshomaru,"_ Naraku taunted her.

Kagura faced him and widened her eyes. "Sesshomaru!" she gasped.

Naraku snickered. "When I have the completed Shikon no Tama, he will become my vassal, Kagura. Perhaps what I will do is give him to you, _if_ you cooperate with me more than you have been. Take care of the Infant, do what I tell you, and leave Bankotsu alone!"

"You'll _give_ him to me? What if he doesn't want to be given?" Kagura countered.

"He's noble, true, but he is practical as well. I can't kill _every demon_ in the world, Kagura, or there would be no one to rule over, now would there? He will obey my commands. However, I have a feeling that you might be disappointed in him all the same. He's so unlike you, Kagura."

"Opposites attract, Naraku! You mean that you won't be diappointed in Kikyo once you have lain with her?" Kagura asked.

"What I feel for Kikyo doesn't even remotely compare to your infatuation with Sesshomaru, Kagura. I've waited a lifetime for her! When I found out she was brought back from the realm of death, I couldn't believe it! I will not lose this chance! Bankotsu, since you are awakened now, it's time that you set out on your task. The sooner you come back with your brother-in-arms, the sooner I can revive Kagome, and we can get on with finding the final shard of the jewel, and all that will follow. You know your mission, my _shinobi."_

Bankotsu nodded and said, "Yes, I do, Naraku-sama." He heaved Banryu onto his shoulder, and she was as heavy as his heart.

* * *

Inuyasha found Suikotsu sleeping on a set of stone steps that used to comprise part of the huge shrine complex that had stood there fifty years earlier.

"Hey, that has to be uncomfortable," Inuyasha commented. Immediately, Suikotsu snapped up. "It's just me. Did you find Kikyo?"

"Yes. She's a bit angry at me, I think, but she'll have to get past it. Is that food I smell?" he asked.

"Come back to the village. The men have been working on repairs from the battle, and the women have been cooking nearly nonstop. They like to make the repairs as soon as possible here, you'll notice."

In the village, Sango and Shippo were stationed at a long low table. They were spooning rice and vegetables into the ever-empty bowls put in front of them. Sango brightened when she saw Inuyasha and Suikotsu. "Oh, you're back! Kagome made it back okay?"

"Yeah, she did. And her grandfather put some stronger sutras on the well on his side."

"You're still troubled, though," Suikotsu observed. "What's on your mind?"

"Kagome being in her time only solves one of my problems. I have a whole list, Suikotsu."

"Well, I hope Sesshomaru isn't one of them," he commented.

Inuyasha glared at him. "He doesn't like humans, Suikotsu. Be very wary around him; you're getting too familiar with him, and he's going to turn on you."

"Was he helpful to you?" Suikotsu persisted.

"Actually, yes he was. He was able to disrupt Naraku's new body with Tokijin. I think he had to retreat," Inuyasha reported.

Sango gasped. "Inuyasha, so it's true then! Naraku knows that Kagome goes to this world through the well!"

"That's why I had her grandfather put the sutras on the well!" Inuyasha grunted.

"Sutras alone might not be enough," Miroku pointed out as he joined them. He had been just as busy as everyone else.

"Sutras _and_ five hundred years ought to be!" Inuyasha stated.

"We'd know it if Naraku had been able to burst through the well, wouldn't we?" Shippo asked.

Inuyasha's ears, though not a strong as usual, picked up a growling suddenly. He turned around, just in time to see Koga jump Suikotsu! "You bastard! You reek of Kagome!" In an instant, Inuyasha broke them up.

"Koga, just _shut the fuck up!"_ Inuyasha warned him. The pain in his chest was blossoming.

"I gave my little sister a hug before she left here, but if you want to start a fight about it, I'm game!" Suikotsu said with a grin. "Bring it on!"

Koga leaped forth, and leaped back when Suikotsu tried to swipe him with his claws. Inuyasha again drove himself between them. "What are you doing? Why are you defending him? He's as bad as that Bankotsu, and I told you what he had done to her!"

"Koga, you don't know what you're talking about!" Inuyasha growled. Every minute there was something else! _However, there might be some good to come out of this._ "If you love Kagome like you say you do, then you need to just shut up and come with me, Koga."

"Nothin' doin'! I'm gonna pound this one right into the dirt!" Koga cried.

"Koga, don't you notice that he doesn't smell like a corpse anymore?" Inuyasha gasped.

"Huh?" Koga stopped for just a fraction of a second and sniffed. "Oh. How did you do that?"

"You know, if I was a different kind of person, I might just start getting a bit self-conscious about how I smell," Suikotsu quipped. "But instead, I'm just going to start taking offense to it!"

"Great, now he's in his bad mood! Koga, just stop this, Suikotsu never harmed Kagome, ever! That does it!" Inuyasha raged as he finally managed to land a blow to Koga's face. "Knock it off, Numbchucks!"

Koga was about to bellow at Inuyasha, then he changed his mind and glared at Suikotsu. Ginta and Hakkaku emerged, huffing and puffing as they always did after Koga had already made his appearance several minutes earlier. "Uh, why's he looking at us like that?" Ginta shivered slightly, pointing at Suikotsu, who was so furious that he looked quite like a demon rather than a human.

"Hey, Suikotsu, they're okay, you don't have to attack them," Inuyasha called to him.

"You got a problem with the way I smell?" Suikotsu growled at Hakkaku.

"N..no…you don't smell dead. But, weren't you one of those corpses that Naraku resurrected, like that Kyokotsu?" he stammered.

"Kyokotsu was my brother!" Suikotsu confirmed.

"But, how can that be? You're nothing like him, how could you be?" Hakkaku gasped.

"I am every bit the killer that Kyokotsu ever was, make no mistake about that!" Suikotsu reminded him coldly.

"But, Koga, it can't be!" Hakkaku insisted.

"What're you jibbering about?" Koga grunted.

Warily, Hakkaku inched away from Suikotsu, who was giving him a murderous stare. He reached Ginta and Koga, then Inuyasha heard only hushed words. The words, "our sister (who had to be Kagome)," "future time," and last, but no least, "Greatfather." He heard Koga gasp.

"Just. Be. Quiet…" Inuyasha warned through his gritted teeth.

* * *

_Can Inuyasha use Koga to help his own cause? Will Kagome find a way to tell Bankotsu that she's alive before he delivers Suikotsu to Naraku and inadvertantly seals everyone's doom? Just keep on reading!_


End file.
